May 10, 2026 Service - "Encountering Jesus" - Week 5

Devotional

Day 1: The Rooster’s Crow

Peter stood by the charcoal fire, warming his hands as Jesus stood trial. Three times he denied knowing Christ. When the rooster crowed, Jesus turned and locked eyes with him. Peter fled, weeping bitterly under the weight of betrayal. His failure felt final—until resurrection morning. [49:34]

Jesus saw Peter’s brokenness before Peter confessed it. The same gaze that exposed Peter’s denial would later meet him with mercy on Galilee’s shore. Christ’s eyes pierce our shame, not to condemn, but to begin healing.

You’ve known moments where fear overruled loyalty. You’ve replayed words you can’t take back. Jesus sees your regret and still moves toward you. Where have you hidden from His gaze, assuming condemnation?

“The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him… And he went outside and wept bitterly.”
(Luke 22:61-62, NIV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to meet you in the memory of a specific failure. Confess your need for His restoring gaze.
Challenge: Write down one regret you’ve carried silently. Burn the paper as a act of releasing it to Christ.

Day 2: Charcoal Fire Redemption

Seven disciples fished all night, catching nothing. At dawn, a stranger called from shore: “Throw your net on the right side.” The haul nearly sank their boat. John whispered, “It’s the Lord!” Peter plunged into the sea, swimming to the fire Jesus had built—a mirror of his denial, now transformed into an invitation. [53:33]

Jesus didn’t erase Peter’s memory of failure. He redeemed it. The same element that witnessed Peter’s denial (charcoal) became the setting for restoration. Christ rebuilds us not by ignoring our past, but by transforming its meaning.

What “charcoal fires” do you avoid—places or patterns tied to past mistakes? Jesus waits there with new purpose. Will you let Him rewrite your story through grace instead of shame?

“When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread… Jesus said, ‘Bring some of the fish you have just caught.’”
(John 21:9-12, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for His power to redeem specific memories. Name one aloud as you pray.
Challenge: Light a candle today. As it burns, identify one lie shame has told you and replace it with a truth from John 21.

Day 3: Three Questions by the Sea

Jesus didn’t lecture Peter. He asked three times: “Do you love me?” Each question mirrored Peter’s denials, not to shame him, but to rebuild trust. With every “Yes, Lord,” Jesus commissioned him: “Feed my sheep.” The third time, Peter’s heart broke—not over his failure, but Christ’s relentless love. [59:03]

Jesus prioritizes affection over achievement. He bypassed Peter’s impulsiveness and focused on his heart’s true north. Our calling flows not from perfect performance, but from answering love’s persistent question.

What if Jesus asked you, “Do you love me?” not to audit your spiritual résumé, but to free you for purposeful love? How would your answer shift today’s priorities?

“When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’… The third time he said to him, ‘Do you love me?’ Peter was hurt… ‘Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.’”
(John 21:15-17, NIV)

Prayer: Tell Jesus three times today, “I love you”—aloud, in different settings.
Challenge: Text one person with this message: “Jesus loves you deeply. How can I pray for you today?”

Day 4: From Shame to Shepherd

After reinstating Peter, Jesus prophesied: “When you are old, others will lead you where you don’t want to go.” This pointed to Peter’s martyrdom. The man who once fled death now embraced it for Christ’s sake. Shame’s prisoner became grace’s herald. [01:00:03]

Jesus didn’t just forgive Peter—He entrusted him with eternal work. Our worst failures become platforms for God’s glory when surrendered. What Satan meant to silence us, Christ redeems as a megaphone.

Where have you assumed your past disqualifies you? Jesus’ “Follow me” isn’t a probationary offer but a commissioning. What step of obedience have you delayed, believing you’re still “too broken”?

“Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’”
(John 21:19, NIV)

Prayer: Confess one way you’ve let shame hinder your obedience. Ask for courage to follow radically.
Challenge: Identify one practical task you’ve avoided (calling someone, serving, etc.) and do it today as an act of trust.

Day 5: Breakfast with the Broken

The resurrected Christ cooked fish for failed disciples. He didn’t demand penance or promises. He fed them. Peter, still smelling of seawater and regret, ate beside the One he’d betrayed. Mercy filled the space between every chew and swallow. [44:30]

Jesus meets us in our hunger—not with lectures, but nourishment. His first act toward broken Peter was service, not scrutiny. We’re restored not to perfect ourselves, but to join His mission of feeding others.

When have you withheld grace from yourself that Jesus freely gives? Who in your life needs to be “fed” through your hands today, even as Christ feeds you?

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
(Matthew 4:19, NIV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for specific ways He’s fed you spiritually this week. Ask Him to make you a “fisher of men.”
Challenge: Share a meal with someone this week—literally. Use the time to listen for openings to share Christ’s love.

Sermon Summary

We gather around a story that refuses to leave us where we fall. We read how Psalm words of trust and rejoicing frame an approach to worship that expects rescue and redemption. We walk into John 21 and meet a risen Lord who goes looking for a weary, shame-filled disciple. We see how failure does not disqualify; it exposes need and opens room for grace. We watch a risen Savior call Peter by name at the very place he fled in fear, invite him to breakfast, and ask three times, Do you love me. Each question seeks the heart, not mere behavior, and each answer leads to a public restoration that issues in service: feed my lambs, tend my sheep, follow me.

We notice that encounter often arrives through the body of Christ. Encounters with Jesus happen both head-on and through the hands, words, and presence of other believers. We trace Peter’s pattern: bold devotion, catastrophic denial, bitter regret, return to familiar nets, and then a meeting on the shore that reorders identity. We confess that we know those nets and that charcoal fire. We recognize the weight of shame that can make us hide, replay mistakes, and doubt whether Jesus still wants us near. Yet the narrative shows a Lord who crosses miles and grief to meet the broken, brings a tangible meal to a tired disciple, and restores affection before assigning vocation.

We accept that restoration feels like both mercy and call. Love precedes commission. The threefold exchange resets affection, removes shame, and then sends restored hands into the world to serve. The story presses us to examine what we love most and to let Jesus confront those loves with gentleness and resolve. We leave with an invitation to come to the shore of our failures, to speak our love, to receive forgiveness, and to step back into following. We expect grace that heals and a commission that follows. We choose to respond to Jesus, trusting that he is never finished with broken people.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus meets us in failure Jesus goes to where we hide and to where we have returned after failing. The encounter on the shore shows that failure does not make us untouchable; it simply reveals where we need mercy. When we admit our brokenness, grace finds a place to begin restoration. [54:36]
2. Affection matters more than behavior Jesus asks Do you love me three times because love reorders the life from the inside out. Correct behavior without renewed affection risks repeating the same compromises under pressure. True restoration reforms our loves so that actions flow from healed desire. [57:40]
3. Restoration includes commission to follow Restoration does not leave us passive; it reintegrates us into mission with clear tasks: feed my lambs, tend my sheep, follow me. Forgiveness restores vocation so that renewed identity produces service, not just relief. The call to follow proves the depth of the healing. [59:41]
4. Community mediates encounters with Jesus The body of Christ often becomes the instrument of Jesus’ healing and invitation. Encounters with Jesus can come through other people who embody grace, speak truth, and stay present amid failure. We remain called to be that means of restoration for one another. [27:30]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[04:29] - Worship and Prayer
[27:30] - The Body as Means of Encounter
[34:01] - Entering John 21: Setting the Scene
[52:06] - Jesus Meets Peter on the Shore

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
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.”

Psalm 13:5-6 (ESV)
But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Luke 22:61-62 (ESV)
And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Observation questions

In John 21:15-17, Jesus asks Peter “Do you love me?” three times. What specific instructions does Jesus give Peter after each response?
What details in John 21:15-19 suggest that Jesus’ restoration of Peter was both personal and public?
The sermon mentions Peter returning to fishing after his failure ([55:27]). How does this detail connect to Jesus’ earlier call to Peter in the Gospels (e.g., Matthew 4:19)?
How does the charcoal fire in John 21:9-12 contrast with the charcoal fire in John 18:18 where Peter denied Jesus?

Interpretation questions

Why might Jesus have focused on Peter’s love for Him rather than addressing his denial directly? How does this shift from behavior to affection change the nature of restoration?
The sermon states, “Failure does not disqualify; it exposes need and opens room for grace” ([54:36]). How does Peter’s story in John 21 illustrate this truth?
Psalm 13:5-6 declares trust in God’s “steadfast love” even in hardship. How does this Psalm frame the kind of worship that expects rescue, as mentioned in the sermon summary?
In Luke 22:61-62, Peter weeps bitterly after denying Jesus. How does this moment of shame prepare him for the restoration in John 21?

Application questions

Where do you tend to “hide” or return to familiar habits (like Peter’s fishing nets) when feeling shame or failure? What would it look like to let Jesus meet you there?
Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” three times. If Jesus asked you this today, how might your answer differ between your actions (behavior) and your heart (affection)?
The sermon emphasizes that “community mediates encounters with Jesus” ([27:30]). Who in your life has been a tangible expression of Jesus’ grace to you? How could you intentionally be that for someone else this week?
Restoration includes a call to action: “Feed my lambs… follow me.” What practical step could you take this week to serve others in a way that flows from being restored by Jesus?
Peter’s denial happened around a charcoal fire, and his restoration began at another fire ([53:33]). Are there places or memories tied to past failures where you need to invite Jesus to rewrite the story?
The sermon says, “Love precedes commission” ([59:41]). How might prioritizing love for Jesus over “doing things for Jesus” change your approach to work, relationships, or ministry?

Sermon Clips

And I believe that Jesus is still asking us the same questions today. Not are you religious, not do you attend church, not can you say and do the right things, but instead we're asked the question of Jesus, do you love me? And what's incredible about this passage is that after every question of Jesus, this loving confrontation, there comes a loving invitation. Jesus says, feed my sheep, tend my flock, follow me. See, not only does Peter does Jesus want to restore the love of Peter's lives, but he restores Peter and he invites him to follow him afresh, and I submit to us this morning that Christ does the same thing. Jesus restores us, and he invites us to follow him afresh. [00:59:11] (57 seconds) #LoveAndFollow

Just as Jesus met Peter at the shore of John 21 where grace and failure meet, God meets us in our failures, in our weaknesses, in our shortcomings, he meets us. Jesus didn't meet Peter at his best. Jesus didn't meet Peter when he had pulled himself together and and he's kinda got it all. Okay. I'm alright, Jesus. Jesus met Peter at his moment of exhaustion, in a moment of disappointment, in a moment of shame, back in the fishing boat, back among the nets where Jesus had first called Peter from. [00:54:36] (47 seconds) #MetInOurFailures

And the scriptures say that Peter jumps out of the boat and into the water, and he swims to shore, and he meets Jesus on the seashore of John chapter 21. And it is there that Jesus has prepared a breakfast for the weary, broken, shame filled disciple. Can you imagine that breakfast? I wish I could have been the fish on shore just watching. The same Peter who denied Jesus around a charcoal fire has now been invited to another fire with Jesus. [00:52:55] (36 seconds) #BreakfastWithJesus

The story of the apostle Peter and his restoration encounter with Jesus, it is a story that is about failure, utter failure. It is a story that is filled with shame and regret. A story of someone who may have disappointed a friend of his. The story of the apostle John apostle Peter in John chapter 21, it is a story of shame and failure and regret, but it is also a story of grace. It's a story of redemption and a story of restoration. [00:31:58] (41 seconds) #FailureToRestoration

Not because Peter brought anything to the table, but because he met a man who invited him to the table. Because of the grace of Jesus. I think it's an incredibly powerful story because John chapter 21 reminds us the reality that Jesus is never finished with broken people. He's never finished with broken people. And, I believe that. I think more and more to my core as I learn my own brokenness, and my own woundedness, and my own weaknesses, and my own struggle. [00:32:39] (38 seconds) #NeverFinishedWithBroken

Peter had returned to this life of fishing, and Jesus comes looking for him there. I wonder if there's anyone in this space who has bought into the lie that our failures calls Jesus to move away from us. Because John 21 reminds us that Jesus is never finished with broken people. Jesus still moves towards weary, wandering, shame filled people, and he moves towards us in his grace, in his compassion, and in his kindness. [00:55:23] (41 seconds) #JesusFindsTheWeary

You see, Jesus goes and he finds Peter, and Jesus calls out to disciples from the shore. They fished all night long and they've caught nothing. And then the stranger appears on the seashore and says, hey, how are doing out there? They say the fishing is crummy. Why don't you cast your nets on the other side? What do we have to lose? And their nets are filled, and they begin to have this realization, this is the master. [00:52:21] (34 seconds) #CastOnTheOtherSide

You see, Peter was confronted with what he loved most. Would he cling to Jesus or would he protect himself? And under the pressure of fear, Peter bailed. He denied that he even knew the one who he once swore he would never leave. Peter was confronted with what he loved most. You see that Peter also knew what it was to live with regret and guilt and shame. [00:48:30] (40 seconds) #LoveOrSelfPreserve

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