Confession, Repentance and Restoration: Peter Part 2 Kathryn Kuhlman

Today, you and I are going to have another one of those heart -to -heart talks. And we're going to talk about Peter. And I don't believe that Peter will mind one bit. I only wish that he were right here sitting by my side and he could tell it so much better than I can tell it to you. And I believe it's just as real to Peter this day as it was when it happened. You know, Peter had an awful hard time. He had the hardest time surrendering himself to the Lord. Now, if you get a little discouraged sometimes in being able to get to a place where it's the hardest thing in the world for you to cut every shoreline, it's the hardest thing in the world. to literally let go and give the master everything that you have just remember that peter had a hard time too and up to a certain time in peter's life god could not do much with peter Even though Peter had followed Jesus and knew his message and was called. But God wanted more than that. And God wants something more than that from you. He'll not be satisfied with just your second best. He'll never be satisfied with my second best. He wanted Peter. And he could not get all of Peter, only through a trial. And so Jesus prays him through, and poor Peter feels so humiliated and so ashamed. And so in the permissive will of God, Peter was thrown very... close to the enemy, so close that the enemy can grab hold of him and even shake him real good. He's put into a sieve, and Jesus knew all about it. And I want you to note the tenderness of Jesus as he deals with this known weakness of Peter's. He helps him as far as he's able. And then Jesus says in substance, as it were, Peter, you're about to suffer a terrific humiliation and testing. And I cannot pray that you be spared this trial. I cannot pray that you be spared the ordeal that you're about to go through. The Father does not give me the liberty to pray for that. I cannot pray that you be spared the agony of it. Your very nature and your very disposition demands that this very treatment and this experience be yours. It's the only way I can get all of you. However, Peter, I pray one thing, and I will pray that with all my power. And my one prayer is, I'll pray that your faith fail not. I will pray that it may not snap under the terrific fire of testing, but that it may come out strengthened. And that you'll come forth a power for God. I want all of you, Peter. Not just some of you. I want all of you. Now we shall better understand Peter's mood when the story takes place. When the disappointment of Christ's disappearance and the failure to bring in the... kingdom settled upon the disciples, what did they do? Remember, they were men with weaknesses and like passions, even as men today. They were not some great saints who knew no weaknesses. They were just ordinary men. And they did the thing that was perfectly natural. perfectly natural thing to do. For when your faith cannot bridge the chasm, when it's not strong enough to take the step, you'll always resort to some natural means of escape. Always. That's the way we're made. When faith fails, then we begin struggling and working and leaning upon the resources of nature. Some are doing it this very hour. There are some who have once been used mightily of God in a tremendous way. And then when their faith began to fail, what did they do? Immediately, they began leaning upon the resources of nature. And the disciples did the very thing. Peter is a spokesman. He always was. I know we sometimes ridicule him for talking so much, but I'm sure we're glad many times that he said what he did. Many times he saves us from the trouble of asking or saying the very thing that we're happy that he said it first. I can imagine Peter looking at the rest and saying, Well... And can't you just hear him? This kingdom business has not turned out as I had expected. And I had just been thinking, fellas, don't you remember the day that the Lord said, the kingdom of God cometh not with observation? And then remember again, he said something like this, the kingdom is within you. Then see now how he's died and he's gone and he's left us. Now he has shown himself twice, but how do we know if he'll ever come back again? We have no assurance. We have no security. This kingdom, it seems to me, is too mystical. And I never was mystically inclined. I guess I don't understand it. But I do know something about fishing. So as for me, I'm going fishing. Now you fellas can do as you like. It's none of my business what you do, but I know what I'm going to do. I'm going fishing. This whole kingdom idea is exploded. It's ended in a crash. I may have gotten some kind of emotionalism. I'm going back to my nets. Going back fishing. That is exactly why Peter went fishing that day. It was not because he really wanted to go fishing. Not really. It was not because he thought the fish would bite. It was something worse than that. I really do not think he cared much. Whether there were any fish in the sea that day, he just wanted to get away. Away. As far away as he could possibly get from the whole thought, the whole atmosphere of the past years and days. I'm talking to somebody right now. Who's run away. Uh -huh. You went to Montana. You went to North Dakota. You went to Arizona. Oh, you said it was for your health, but not really. So Peter went fishing. He didn't want to be haunted by too many thoughts and suggestions from his friends. He wanted a change of environment. Do any of you know what I'm talking about? Sure you do. Instantly, the other fellow said, okay, we'll go too. That sounds good to us. You've always been a leader. There seems to be nothing else to do, and so we'll go along. They too probably wanted a change, but didn't own up to it. I wonder what the precious Lord read in their hearts just then. And so there they are, fishing. Fishing. The night settled down and they fish on and on. And what the angels thought looking down. Seeing them out fishing. It comes one o 'clock. No fish. Two o 'clock. Still no fish. They try every old hunt that they've ever known. This point, that bank, this little cove, all the old holes they've been in before. It's cold. The nets are heavy, and that night me thinks they were a little heavier than they've ever been. They were a little harder to handle. Those nets you're carrying are getting pretty heavy, you know it. they're getting a little hard to handle. Oh, the emptiness of it all. Did you ever walk over the old pass? Have you felt the haunting spirit of such a place? We read that they fished all night and caught nothing. But listen, the scripture says, but when the morning was now come, Jesus... stood on the shore. Morning will come. Oh, haven't you been through many a dark night without fish so by? Oh, and those hours are so long. We feel that morning will never come. Have you ever had the same feeling that I've had? That morning would never, never come? But morning will come. And the scripture says, but when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore, and he'll always be on your shore when morning comes. Thank God there's always a morning. There they are, wretched, forlorn, unhappy, disheartened little group. They had no business in that boat at all, for he had called them from their nets to make them fishers of men. They were doing the very thing that he had called them from, out of. The night cannot last too long. Finally, there's a faint streak of light over against the hills and continues growing. a little lighter and a little lighter. The mist and the fog are hanging along the shore so that only a dim outline of things is visible. But as they look, they can see someone moving. And finally, they hear a voice calling. Children! Children! Have you any meat? In other words, Jesus was saying, Have you caught anything, children? He knew good and well they hadn't caught even a minnow. He knew that. But he took the initiative and asked them the question. Why not scold them? Why not rebuke them? They'd failed the master. They'd failed him. There was cause for rebuke. Do they not need to be lined up one at a time, being rebuked for having failed? How many of you think that Jesus did not know about the boat, or if they had any fish or not? If, for a moment, you think he just asked merely for information, you're mistaken. He had in mind the blessing of a deliverance and the reinstating of Peter and his commission. But he must first ask them this question. He must build the blessing upon a certain foundation, and that foundation is a confession. And he's working on you this very hour for that confession. He's waiting for that confession. That is the foundation for all forgiveness. There can be no forgiveness until, first of all, there is confession. And the hardest thing in the world for human nature to do is to say, I'm sorry. I've seen little children. You can punish a youngster. And a youngster will refuse to say, I'm sorry. And there's many a man and many a woman this very hour who would rather go to hell than to say, I'm sorry. And there's some people to whom I'm speaking have never in their lives ever said, I'm sorry. Yeah, that's right. There's a certain foundation that the master builds upon, and that's the foundation of a confession. It's the basis for all blessing. If you have learned that wonderful secret of coming into his presence and saying, I'm sorry, you've learned. One of the greatest spiritual lessons there is to learn. And it takes a big person to say I'm sorry. You're showing no weakness whatsoever in saying I'm sorry. It's little people. It's small people who cannot say I'm sorry. It's insecure people who cannot say I'm sorry. Jesus knew all the circumstances, but he wanted this one thing, a confession of their defeat, a confession of their failure in their own self -will. He wanted them to own up to the failure. He wanted them to say just one word, nothing. Children, little children, do you have meat? He knew they didn't have anything. He saw to that. He wanted just one word from them, one word of confession, that simple word, nothing. Oh, how much better to make a clean breast of it than to say, if the wind had not flapped the sails, or if so -and -so had not rocked the boat. I think we may have caught something. Or if they put the blame on somebody else. Thank God they said in just one simple word, nothing. And as soon as he gets this confession, he builds up a blessing and he directs them as to what they're to do. And now in obedience, they're fishing in the very same boat. They're fishing in the very same water, with the very same nets, in the very same place, but oh, what a change. What a change after their confession. What a change a confession will make. What a confession will do in that life of yours. You don't have to run from circumstances. You don't have to run from God. You don't have to run from the family. You don't have to run off to Arizona. You don't have to run off to Mexico. You don't have to run off to the east. You don't have to run to the neighbors. Just make that one confession. I'm sorry. What do you have? Nothing. Nothing. After that concession, do you want to know something? The fish just could not get into the nets fast enough. Sometimes I think every fish tried to get into those nets. Yeah. Oh, how wise, how tactful Jesus is. How delicately, how carefully he handles Peter. Even though Jesus is tender and tactful, he does not intend to let Peter get biased, we say. He never does. His very love is manifested in correction. He loves Peter dearly. He's going to deal with him in a most clever, the sweetest way possible without causing him embarrassment before his fellow disciples. He'll not cause you embarrassment. He'll never cause me embarrassment. Never. Jesus doesn't work like that. Never. He'll so deal with Peter that he'll never forget it. And Peter never did forget it. And so the Lord has some coals of fire and fish for them. And as the disciples come up, I can imagine the Lord say, Peter, won't you just come and warm yourself? Here's a very fine fire. You must be cold and damp, Peter. Come and sit by me. And he came. And he answered for the first time with all of his heart when the master asked him, Lovest thou me, Peter? For the first time, Peter answered it with his whole being, body, soul. and spirit.