Embracing God's Call Through Our Imperfections
Summary
We all have moments when we feel exposed, uncertain, or like we’re being watched and judged—by others, by ourselves, or even by God. In those moments, it’s tempting to put on a brave face and say, “I got this.” But the truth is, none of us really “got this” on our own. My own family’s journey, especially through the challenges of adoption and the uncertainties of life, has taught me again and again that God is the one who holds us, sustains us, and brings us through.
Peter’s story is a mirror for so many of us. He was the disciple who always seemed to be first to speak, first to act, and first to declare his loyalty. He was the “I got this” guy. Yet, time after time, Peter’s self-confidence gave way to failure—whether it was sinking in the water after a few steps, denying Jesus three times, or trying to take matters into his own hands in the garden. But what’s remarkable is not Peter’s failure, but Jesus’ response to it.
After the resurrection, Jesus meets Peter not with shame, but with restoration. He recreates the scene of their first calling—another miraculous catch of fish—and invites Peter to breakfast by a charcoal fire, the same setting where Peter had denied him. Three times, Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?”—not to rub salt in the wound, but to heal it, to restore Peter’s calling, and to remind him that his place in God’s story isn’t lost because of his failure.
God doesn’t need our perfection; He wants our presence, our willingness, and our availability. Our past mistakes, our brokenness, even our deepest regrets—none of these disqualify us from being used by God. In fact, it’s often in our weakness that His strength is most clearly seen. The only thing that can truly disqualify us is our refusal to say “yes” to Him.
No matter where you are, no matter what you’ve done, God is still calling. He meets us where we are, restores us, and invites us to follow Him again. The question is not whether you’re qualified, but whether you’re willing to say, “Here I am, Lord. Use me.”
Key Takeaways
- God’s Calling Is Not Dependent on Our Perfection
Peter’s journey shows that God’s call on our lives isn’t revoked by our failures. Even after Peter’s denial, Jesus sought him out, recreated the moment of his first calling, and restored him. Our mistakes don’t disqualify us; God’s grace is bigger than our shortcomings, and He delights in using imperfect people for His perfect purposes. [24:12]
- Restoration Is a Process, Not a Punishment
When Jesus met Peter by the charcoal fire, He didn’t shame him for his denial. Instead, He gently walked Peter through a process of restoration, asking three times, “Do you love me?”—one for each denial. God’s heart is not to rub our noses in our failures, but to heal us, restore us, and recommission us for His work. [28:30]
- God Meets Us Where We Are, Not Where We Pretend to Be
Jesus adjusted His language to match Peter’s capacity for love in that moment, moving from “agape” to “phileo.” God knows exactly where we are emotionally and spiritually, and He meets us there, not in the place we wish we were or pretend to be. He patiently brings us from our place of weakness to the place of strength in Him. [29:55]
- Availability, Not Ability, Is What God Desires
God doesn’t need our talents, our resumes, or our spotless records. He wants our willingness to say “yes” and to be available for whatever He asks. The only thing that truly disqualifies us from serving God is our refusal to be available; if we offer ourselves, He will equip and use us, no matter our past. [38:49]
- Weakness Is the Canvas for God’s Strength
Paul’s words remind us that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. When we are honest about our brokenness and limitations, we create space for God’s grace to shine through. Rather than hiding our failures, we can boast in them, knowing that Christ’s strength is most visible when we are most aware of our need for Him. [44:11]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:18] - Family Introduction
[01:09] - Calling and Relocation
[01:55] - Meet the Whole Family
[05:09] - Adoption Journey and Trusting God
[07:31] - Leaving the 99 for the One
[09:14] - Setting Up in John 21
[09:29] - Peter’s First Calling and Miracle Catch
[12:01] - Peter’s “I Got This” Moments
[14:20] - Peter Walks on Water
[16:02] - Peter’s Denial Foretold
[17:20] - The Garden and Peter’s Sword
[19:08] - Peter’s Denial and Failure
[21:25] - Jesus Restores Peter in John 21
[24:12] - God’s Grace After Failure
[25:23] - Restoration by the Fire
[29:55] - Jesus Meets Us Where We Are
[32:21] - God Still Has a Role for You
[38:49] - Availability Over Ability
[41:02] - God’s Kindness and Repentance
[44:11] - God’s Strength in Our Weakness
[45:32] - Saying Yes to God’s Call
[47:14] - Closing Prayer
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide: "I Got This – The Gospel According to Peter"
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### Bible Reading
- John 21:1-19 (Jesus restores Peter after his denial)
- Luke 5:1-11 (Peter’s first calling and the miraculous catch of fish)
- 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness…”)
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### Observation Questions
1. In both Luke 5 and John 21, what is similar about the way Jesus interacts with Peter and the other disciples during the miraculous catch of fish?
2. When Peter realizes it is Jesus on the shore in John 21, what is his immediate reaction, and what does that show about his relationship with Jesus?
3. How many times does Jesus ask Peter, “Do you love me?” by the fire, and what does Jesus command Peter to do each time?
4. According to the sermon, what was the significance of the charcoal fire in John 21 compared to the last time Peter was near a charcoal fire? [[28:30]]
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### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus chose to recreate the scene of Peter’s first calling when restoring him after his denial? What message was Jesus sending to Peter? [[24:12]]
2. The sermon points out that Jesus changed his language from “agape” to “phileo” when talking to Peter. What does this tell us about how God meets us in our weakness? [[29:55]]
3. The pastor said, “God doesn’t need our perfection; He wants our presence, our willingness, and our availability.” How does this challenge the way we often think about serving God? [[38:49]]
4. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 that he will “boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses.” Why is it so hard for us to admit our weaknesses, and what does it look like to let God’s strength show through them? [[44:11]]
---
### Application Questions
1. The sermon described moments when we feel exposed, uncertain, or like we’re being watched and judged. When was the last time you felt this way, and how did you respond? Did you try to “put on a brave face” or did you turn to God? [[00:18]]
2. Peter’s story is full of “I got this” moments that ended in failure. Can you think of a time when you tried to handle something on your own strength and it didn’t work out? What did you learn from that experience? [[15:42]]
3. Jesus restored Peter by asking him three times, “Do you love me?” and then giving him a new assignment. Is there a failure or regret in your life that you feel disqualifies you from serving God? How might God want to restore and recommission you? [[28:30]]
4. The sermon said, “God meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be.” Are there areas in your life where you are pretending to be stronger or more spiritual than you really are? What would it look like to be honest with God and others about where you are? [[29:55]]
5. The only thing that truly disqualifies us from serving God is our refusal to say “yes” to Him. Is there something God is asking you to do right now that you’ve been resisting? What is holding you back from saying, “Here I am, Lord. Use me”? [[38:49]]
6. The pastor shared about his own brokenness and how God still uses him. How can you let your own weaknesses or past mistakes become a place where God’s strength is seen? [[44:11]]
7. Think about practical ways you can be available to God this week. Is there a specific person, ministry, or need that you feel God nudging you toward? What is one step you can take to say “yes” to God’s call? [[46:51]]
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Closing Thought:
No matter where you are or what you’ve done, God is still calling. He meets you where you are, restores you, and invites you to follow Him again. The question is not whether you’re qualified, but whether you’re willing to say, “Here I am, Lord. Use me.”
Devotional
Day 1: Jesus Calls Us Despite Our Failures
No matter how many times we fall short or try to do things in our own strength, Jesus continues to call us to follow Him. Peter’s journey began with a miraculous catch of fish after a night of failure, and in that moment, he recognized his own unworthiness before Jesus. Yet, Jesus did not turn him away; instead, He invited Peter to a new purpose—catching people for God’s kingdom. Even when we feel inadequate or unqualified, Jesus sees beyond our failures and invites us to be part of His story. [10:49]
Luke 5:1-11 (ESV)
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
Reflection: Where in your life do you feel unworthy or like you’ve failed, and how might Jesus be inviting you to trust Him and step forward anyway today?
Day 2: God’s Power Works Through Our Weakness
We often want to say, “I got this,” relying on our own strength, but true spiritual fruit comes when we surrender and let God work through us. Peter’s story is a reminder that our abilities are not enough; it is God who enables us to do His will. When we are weak, God’s strength is made perfect, and He accomplishes His purposes through us as we make ourselves available to Him. [12:58]
Philippians 2:13 (ESV)
For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Reflection: What is one area where you’ve been trying to “do it yourself” instead of relying on God’s strength, and how can you surrender that to Him today?
Day 3: Jesus Restores and Commissions the Broken
After Peter’s denial, Jesus didn’t shame him but gently restored him by the fire, asking three times, “Do you love me?” and commissioning him to care for His people. Jesus meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be, and He walks us through restoration, giving us new purpose even after our greatest failures. His grace is not just about forgiveness, but about restoring us to meaningful service in His kingdom. [28:48]
John 21:15-19 (ESV)
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, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him 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, “Tend 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 everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Reflection: Is there a failure or regret in your life that you need to bring to Jesus for restoration, trusting that He can still use you?
Day 4: God’s Forgiveness and Grace Cover All
No matter what you have done, God’s forgiveness is complete and His grace is sufficient. When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. God is not looking to condemn, but to restore and empower us for His purposes. Our past does not disqualify us; only our refusal to say “yes” to God can keep us from being used by Him. [33:35]
1 John 1:9 (ESV)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Reflection: What is one sin or regret you need to confess to God today, believing that He truly forgives and cleanses you completely?
Day 5: God Wants Your Availability, Not Your Perfection
God does not require us to be perfect or have impressive abilities; He simply wants us to be available and willing to serve. Whether you feel too young, too old, too broken, or too ordinary, God can use you right where you are. The Christian life is not about being a superhero, but about being present, humble, and ready to say, “Here I am, Lord. Use me.” [39:51]
Isaiah 6:8 (ESV)
And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Reflection: What is one practical way you can make yourself available to God’s service this week, no matter how small it may seem?
Quotes
If you remember the story of the transfiguration, Jesus is there and it's in Luke chapter nine and Jesus is there in his radiant glory and standing with him or Moses and Elijah and the disciples are just aruck by this this happening. And Peter says to Jesus, "Let's build three tents. Let's make people know what happened here." And the scripture literally says, literally says, you can look it up in Luke 9, that Peter did not know what he was talking about. He had no idea. He thought, "This is this is awesome. This people should know about this. Let's build some tents. Let's remember this. Is so cool." [00:13:21]
But when Jesus said or when the Bible says when Peter doesn't know what he's talking about, it's the nice way for the Bible to say, "Sit down, Peter. Sit down." Then another time, the disciples are on this boat and the storm is raging and they're afraid because they might sink and they see this image coming across the water and they think it's a ghost. And then they realize that it's the Lord walking on the water. Can you imagine seeing someone walk on the water? [00:14:03]
Like a lot of times we read the Bible and we don't really think about what the Bible says. Here is a dude that you've been hanging out with who you know his name, you know his mom, you know his dad, you know his brother, you eat with him, you sleep with him, you walk around with him, you probably told jokes with him. And here he comes walking on the water. That's pretty amazing. I would fall out if I saw someone walking on the water. [00:14:41]
But Peter, what does he say? Lord, if that's really you, let me come out there. And Jesus says, okay. And Peter gets out of the boat and starts getting that way and all of a sudden realizes, oh man, I'm walking on water and boom, right in. Lord, help me. And there's Jesus to save him. Peter's like, "Hey guys, watch this. I got this." And as soon as he stepped, I don't think he took more than one or two steps if I'm completely honest with you. And boom. Now he goes in. [00:15:15]
Now he goes in. Then at the last supper in Matthew chapter 26, Jesus says, "You will all fall away. You will all run away." And Peter, they're all like, "Oh, I wouldn't do that." Peter, he gets in Jesus' face and says, "Even if everyone else fails, if they bail out on you, I will die for you." And Jesus replies to him, "Before the rooster crows three times, you will deny me three times." And we know what happened. [00:15:56]
But like Peter, when I fall flat, Jesus still comes through. If you would open your Bibles with me or your Bible apps to John 21. We're going to read verses 1-8. After this, that's the resurrection. Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberius. And he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas, called the twin, Nathaniel of Canaa in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. [00:21:20]
Simon Peter said to them, "I'm going fishing." Now, all this stuff has happened and Peter is down and out because he's betrayed Christ. His life is on the line. And he goes back to what he knows. Like, I got to do something. I know. I'm going to go fishing. They said to him, "We'll go with you. Who doesn't like to go fishing?" They went out and got in the boat, but that night they caught nothing. [00:21:41]
So here Peter's lived this life of I got this and he decides I'm going to go fishing. But they catch nothing. That's how the story started. Jesus calls from the shore. Throw the net on the other side. He said to them, sorry I stopped reading. Jesus said to them, children, have you caught any fish? They answered him. No, he said to them. So no, he said to them, cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some. [00:22:16]
So they cast it and now they were not able to to haul it in because of the quantity of fish. That disciple when whom Jesus loved John therefore said to Peter, it's the Lord. When Simon Peter heard it, he was that it was the Lord. He put on his outer garment for it was for he was stripped for the work and he threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat dragging the net full of fish for they were not far out from land but went about but about a hundred yards off they here they were in this familiar situation. [00:22:36]
Here comes Jesus. He shows up like he always does. Cast your nets on the other side. Boom. God grants God God shows up even when we fall flat. Same miracle, different Peter. This isn't a reset of the sense of pretending in the failure didn't happen. Instead, this is Jesus reminding Peter that he had called him to this and before he was perfect, he was still being called. [00:23:00]
Peter hadn't attained it. He was trying to do it in his own power. Jesus still called him even when he was trying to do it in his power. You may feel like you've blown it too badly to be of any use to God. You've probably failed him too many times. But like we sang earlier, uh he'll never fail us. He'll never fail us. He's been the fourth man in the fire time after time. [00:23:21]
Maybe you feel like your church has missed its moment. But Jesus doesn't show up at the beginning. He shows up over and over. After we fail, he's there to pick us up. When we're on empty, he's there to fill us. When we're tired, he's there to give us rest. And he fills us over and over again. His mercy is never ending. And his grace is new every morning. [00:23:44]
Jesus invites us to the fire not to shame us but to heal us. Verse 15. 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, "Feed my lambs." He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you?" He said to him, "Tend my sheep." [00:27:14]
He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything and you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted. But when you were old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go." [00:27:34]
This is said, this he said to show by what kind of death he would glorify God. And after this saying, he said to him, "Follow me." So, what's going on here? First of all, Jesus, the last time Peter had been near a charcoal fire, he was denying Jesus. That the Bible tells us he was warming his hands. And now Jesus had built a fire to cook breakfast. [00:28:00]
Jesus isn't there rubbing it in. He's walking Peter through a process of restoration. Peter had denied Jesus three times and now pet Jesus is walking Peter through this restoration. Now, I am not a pastor who's like, "We're going to open the the Bible uh dictionary and we're going to look at the Greek and the Hebrew, but sometimes you have to." So, what's going on in the Greek? [00:28:23]
So, the first two times Jesus uses the word apo meaning a deep sacrificial love. It's this uh agape love, the the kind of love with which God loves us, an unconditional love. Peter, do you love me unconditionally the way God loves you? And Peter replies with Lord, I love you. And he uses the word fileo, which is a brotherly love, a friendly love. [00:28:46]
The word Phil, the city Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. The fileo is there in that. Lord, you know that I love you like a friend. The third time Jesus says to Peter, "Peter, do you love me with a brotherly love?" And Peter says, "You know I do." Peter's grieved not just because Jesus asked him three times, but because Jesus changed the word from agape to file. [00:29:08]
Now, here's what's really cool. God has a place that he wants us to be, right? right in his will where he wants us when he wants us how he wants us but sometimes we are not there because we said I got this and then we realize how much we don't got this and so God and here we see this says here's where I want you here's where I want you but he always meets us where we are to help us get to where he want and that three time That process was you blew it. [00:29:32]
Jesus meets Peter where he is not where Peter pretended to be. This is great. Also notice Jesus commands to him flight change. First he says feed my lambs in verse 15. This means care for the young and the vulnerable. the people who cannot protect themselves. Then in verse 16 he says tend my sheep which is guide and protect those who are maturing in their faith. [00:29:59]
And then thirdly he says feed my sheep in verse 17 which means nourish the whole flock. Make sure that the whole flock is being cared for. This whole idea is not just forgiving and forgetting. It's restoring the calling. [00:30:22]
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