Have you ever wished for a 2nd chance? Thought about what it could look like, what you might do different?

I think we all have. It's an important thing.

Peter, after last week, most certainly needed a second chance. And the gospels tell us about the smaller run-ins he had with Jesus after the resurrection. But I imagine Peter still had that weird feeling in the back of his mind. Wondering if everything could go back, or was he forgiven.

Our story this week tells us about the moment he is waiting for, and in this story, we all find a lesson we can all learn about following.

Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.

Simon Peter said, "I'm going fishing."

"We'll come, too," they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.

At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn't see who he was. He called out, "Fellows, have you caught any fish?"

"No," they replied.

Then he said, "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get some!" So they did, and they couldn't haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.

Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.

"Bring some of the fish you've just caught," Jesus said. So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn't torn.

"Now come and have some breakfast!" Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord. Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?"

"Yes, Lord," Peter replied, "you know I love you."

"Then feed my lambs," Jesus told him.

Jesus repeated the question: "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

"Yes, Lord," Peter said, "you know I love you."

"Then take care of my sheep," Jesus said.

A third time he asked him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?"

Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you."

Jesus said, "Then feed my sheep.

This story can function like a tiny gospel. In fact, it looks a lot like Jesus and Peters first interaction. And there are layers of lessons inside it, but our lesson is the same lesson Peter had to learn. We are identified in how we follow Jesus, not how we ask Jesus to follow us.

Have you ever found yourself backed into a corner? It's the hard way to learn the world isn't what we thought it was or doesn't work like we want it to. And this is an old tale. Sometimes we learn it easy and sometimes we learn it hard.

Peter, a disciple of Jesus, learned a bunch of lessons. And over the next couple of weeks we are going to talk about what might be the hardest one. But this was a lesson he had to go through in order to become the person he was called to be.

Simon Peter asked, "Lord, where are you going?"

And Jesus replied, "You can't go with me now, but you will follow me later."

"But why can't I come now, Lord?" he asked. "I'm ready to die for you."

Jesus answered, "Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter—before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me. John 13:36-38 NLT

Peter was willing to follow Jesus anywhere, but on his own terms. The problem was Peter's terms couldn't provide what was needed. In this case, it was Jesus dying for the whole world. Jesus confronted Peter's worldview and told him it wasn't even big enough for himself, much less the whole world.

So let's get into the big story together.

So who gets to belong?

That's a big question. We could almost say the majority of our social discourse these days is about who gets to belong and at what level. The conversation begins when we are kids on the playground and in the classroom and sadly continues throughout our entire life.

At our best, recognize differences and learn to live and work together. At our worst, we dehumanize and begin to work off of a scale of social worth.

And this has happened for thousands of years.

Jesus encountered it in His ministry and this situation puts a few things forward that we need to consider.

Then Jesus went out to the lakeshore again and taught the crowds that were coming to him. 14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector's booth. "Follow me and be my disciple," Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him.

15 Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus' followers.) 16 But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, "Why does he eat with such scum?"

17 When Jesus heard this, he told them, "Healthy people don't need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners." Mark 2:13-17

Jesus encounters people at all of their level of belonging. And his message isn't as simple or cut and dry as we would like it. But His world wasn't simple and our world isn't simple. Let's learn from the one who can actually instruct us with the truth.

So what surprises you? I'm not necessarily talking about someone jumping out from behind a door, but what behavior do you so rarely see that you end up genuinely surprised when you encounter it? They can be both negative and positive actions, but we all have the things that we hope for, but rarely see.

Even Jesus. Yep, the big guy himself ends up surprised in this story.

When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly." And he said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion replied, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, "Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; let it be done for you as you have believed." And the servant was healed at that very moment. Matthew 8:5-13

Jesus is coming into Capernaum, the home base of ministry, and ends up in a conversation with (probably) the highest ranking military officer around. This interaction is rich in all sorts of do's and don'ts for Jewish people, and a roman officer who is willingly placing himself underneath these cultural and religious expectations. And at the end of this, Jesus gets legitimately surprised. To the point He has to gather Himself and respond. All because of the willingness of this centurion.

But there is a reason he is doing so. And a reason that he does submit. And in this officers conversation we see him having an understanding of faithful obedience, to a level that Jesus has not even seen the Jewish people have. This Sunday we will be jumping into this unbelievable interaction to see what this faithful obedience does when we choose to live with it.

Jesus liked to tell stories. I imagine he did for the same reason other people like to tell stories. You see, words create worlds, and stories can create the worlds in which we can look at things differently…mainly ourselves. Jesus tells a story about a farmer scattering seeds. It goes like this:

"Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since they didn't have deep roots, they died. Other seeds fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand." Matthew 13:2-9

But everyone always had questions. Jesus liked to use a specific type of stories, called "parables" to draw people into looking at themselves and their worlds differently. At the end of this story, His disciples asked him for an explanation.

His disciples came and asked him, "Why do you use parables when you talk to the people?"

He replied, "You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not. To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. That is why I use these parables,

For they look, but they don't really see. They hear, but they don't really listen or understand. This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,

'When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend. For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.' "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but they didn't see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn't hear it. Matthew 13:10-17

The kicker to both of these stories is found in verses 9 and 17. It's about us having ears to hear things. It's a favorite way for Jesus to talk about the way we can tune ourselves to hearing and understanding what God is doing around us. This weekend, we are going to talk about this hearing (and seeing). What it takes to do this, how we might often not be able to do it well, and several other things.

When was the last time you got into a disagreement? Did it end well?

Do they ever actually end well?

We live in a world that seems to be filled with disagreements. And how do they typically end up?

What would it look like if the typical reaction to disagreements were better and stronger relationships? (yeah right)

"If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If the person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. Then if he or she won't accept the church's decision, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.

"I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.

"I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them." Matthew 18:15-20

This passage is typically used to talk about disagreements and issues between two Christians. But that doesn't even take it far enough. Jesus used a pretty expected Jewish behavior to tell a story about the power and mission of the local church, and how awkward conversations might turn out to be the fuel that supplies the kingdom of God.

Earlier this year, Chad Brooks (our pastor), had a pretty serious medical scare. He took the time to talk about it on Sunday morning and also to share what Scripture revealed to his heart during the season of healing and reflection.

So what baggage do we carry around and what are we doing with it?

"I have made no trouble for Israel," Elijah replied. "You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead. Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel."

So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel.Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!" But the people were completely silent.

Then Elijah said to them, "I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets. Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it. Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!" And all the people agreed.

Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood."

So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made.

About noontime Elijah began mocking them. "You'll have to shout louder," he scoffed, "for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself.Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!"

So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out. They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response.

Then Elijah called to the people, "Come over here!" They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down.

Seriously?

Think about it. What normally happens before a tough conversation has to happen? One person does something that has sadly turned out to be a repeating problem. Another person has to step in and have one of those tough conversations. I can only imagine both the internal and external words that are part of this realization. Typically, someone has become exasperated enough to realize that a tough talk needs to occur.

Seriously?

No word better expresses the emotion of realizing this. And you know what? Even Jesus went through this. Read these words from the gospel of Matthew

At the foot of the mountain, a large crowd was waiting for them. A man came and knelt before Jesus and said, 15 "Lord, have mercy on my son. He has seizures and suffers terribly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 So I brought him to your disciples, but they couldn't heal him."

17 Jesus said, "You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." 18 Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him. From that moment the boy was well.

19 Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, "Why couldn't we cast out that demon?"

20 "You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." Matthew 17:14-20

This must have been big because this story shows up in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And all in the same sequence. Right after Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain and a miraculous transfiguration occurs. Jesus (appears) to be talking with Moses and Elijah, both dead for centuries, and these three disciples witness it all. Upon coming down from the mountain our story infolds. We see Jesus get frustrated at the lack of ability the disciples previously had. He then explains to them that this is an issue of faith. Other gospels relate it even deeper to a lack of faith caused by a lack of prayer.

The disciples (and us) have a tendency to significantly underestimate the power of prayer in their life. Jesus describes this as them having a "poverty of faith", in essence, a lack of what is essential for the basic functioning of faith. He talks about this mustard seed several times in the gospel. It's quality, not quantity. So the humanity of Jesus shows up with His disciples. Let's talk about what we can learn from this.

The disciples were at the point where they should have known better. They should have known Jesus better. They should have known of the necessity of their faithfulness and prayerfulness better.

Everyone loves the inside scoop. Sometimes it's because we are nosey. Other times it's because we want to make sure we have right information.

Inside scoops clarify. Especially when big things are at stake.

So how do you go about doing it? You typically get to the bottom of the source, make sure you have as much information as you can find, and then make a decision. Part of the story of Jesus is this story of someone trying to get to the bottom of all of these crazy stories about a prophet and teacher coming from the edges of Judea.

There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. "Rabbi," he said, "we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you."

3 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God."

4 "What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?"

5 Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit."

9 "How are these things possible?" Nicodemus asked.

10 Jesus replied, "You are a respected Jewish teacher, and yet you don't understand these things? 11 I assure you, we tell you what we know and have seen, and yet you won't believe our testimony. 12 But if you don't believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. John 3:1-13 NLT.

In all of the stories in this sermon series we are both seeing people and seeing ourselves challenged to "what could be." And this story is no different. But where Nicodemus comes to Jesus to try to get confirmation of who he (and others) are thinking and hoping who Jesus is, they aren't thinking big enough. What we find is that when we come to Jesus drawing lines of possibility He simply sees beginning points.

So let's come together to think about this passage, and see how Jesus moves us to a different starting point altogether.