Past Failures and Present Restoration

Failure and Forgiveness
John 21:15-17
"Simon, do you love Me more than these? ...Tend My Lambs."

Guilt and failure can paralyze us in ministry and our Christian life. It is one thing when we slightly stumble, but when we have a shameful defeat, we can feel that our lives are forever tainted and we are destined to be second-class citizens within God's kingdom. Such was the feeling of Peter. When Jesus met with the disciples after the resurrection, there was an elephant in the room that needed to be addressed. Peter had not just run away in the night like the other disciples. Instead, he had denied Jesus three times and punctuated the denial with a curse. The words of Jesus must have played repeatedly in his mind, "If you deny me before men, I will deny you before the Father in heaven."  Had Peter committed the unpardonable sin? Was he longer worthy of being a disciple? Often the same questions plague us when we have failed in the past.
If Peter was going to be effective as a leader in the church, the past had to be overcome. Therefore, Jesus confronts Peter three times (corresponding to the three denials) to address Peter's failure and to restore Peter with a new calling to serve him.  Like an old wound that festers, past sins cannot be ignored. We cannot bury them as if they never happened. Instead, we need to confront the past and take ownership of our failures to experience the full depth of God's forgiveness. By asking Peter three times if Peter loved him, Jesus is bringing the old wound to the forefront. He confronts Peter not because Jesus wants to remind Peter of his failures but because he wants Peter to fully acknowledge his failure so that he might realize God’s forgiveness. The first step in overcoming our past is to accept responsibility for our past and seek God's cleansing mercy. When we confess our sins, God always forgives them no matter how "horrendous" they may have been.  
Three times, Jesus commands Peter to shepherd and feed his sheep. In these commands, we see the complete restoration of Peter. Christ has not only forgiven Peter for his failure, but Jesus now fully restores him to his calling. God recognizes and forgives us of our past sins, and he never discards us as unfit for his use. Instead, God reaffirms his desire to use us for his glory in his grace. It is not the perfect individuals who God employs; it is the forgiven. Furthermore, forgiveness comes not because we deserve it or earned his grace. Forgiveness is offered freely by a gracious God.
Not only does Jesus restore Peter, but he reminds Peter that the basis for serving God is not our freedom from failures but our present love for him. Three times Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love me?" Jesus is not trying to rub Peter's failure in his face; instead, he reminds Peter that serving God is not based on merit but on love. It is not based upon the past but upon the present. In God's redemptive program, it is not what happened in the past that defines us; it is our present and future relationship with him. Are we loving him now and growing in that love in the future?
Do you have failures in the past that you cannot forget, and these failures plague you with guilt in the night? Then, accept Christ's forgiveness and restoration. You may not forget those failures, but you can be forgiven for them. Having confessed our sin and obtained Christ's salvation, rejoice in God's complete restoration.