Beyond Sunday
Beyond Sunday is a podcast where we dive into what our Church is up to, what's happening in society, go deeper into topics from Sunday mornings, and hear leadership talks and coffee break theology from Pastor Greg Griffith. This is a podcast of King of Kings Church in Omaha & Fremont, Nebraska. Learn more at kingofkings.org.
Beyond Sunday
S2Ep9 - Peter: Learning Through Failure
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Failure can hit like a cup dropped on the kitchen floor — sudden, loud, and hard to ignore. This episode follows Peter’s collapse and Christ’s restoration, showing how grace rebuilds a man and sends him back out with a steadier faith than before.
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Welcome And Season Setup
SPEAKER_00You're listening to Coffee Break Theology, a King of Kings podcast.
SPEAKER_02Well, hey, all you coffee breakers. So glad you are back. We're gonna continue in our uh season on godly masculinity. I'm Greg. And I'm Marcus.
SPEAKER_01Today we're talking about a guy I think most people can relate to. Yeah. Peter. But not Peter Bay. Oh, the the disciple Peter.
SPEAKER_02Oh. But they do have similar learning styles, though, right? Like we're gonna spend 10 minutes talking about Peter. I bet we could, though.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, we definitely could talk about Peter Bay for 10 minutes.
SPEAKER_02Well absolutely.
SPEAKER_01That's our next season.
SPEAKER_02Oh, there we go.
SPEAKER_01It's gonna be called Coffee Bake Theology, Season Three, Biblical Ridiculousness with Peter Bay.
SPEAKER_02Oh, that'd be fun. We should have him as a guest.
SPEAKER_01It would be something. That'd be that'd be fun. It would be awesome.
SPEAKER_02It would be awesome.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. New podcast. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02He'd probably buy new shoes for it, too. Yeah. Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_01Make it happen.
Peter The Impulsive Disciple
SPEAKER_02Yeah. All right, back to the Bible. Okay. The disciples had a guy who acted first and thought later. It's Peter. Yeah. The man who put his foot in his mouth again and again.
SPEAKER_01He's he's the guy who said, I'll never deny you. Amen. And then hours later did it three times. Oh no. Wow.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And I here's what I love about Peter, right? Godly masculinity does not mean we don't fail. Yep. It doesn't mean we don't put our foot in our mouth. It means that we learn through failure and we are vulnerable and allow God to fully restore us. Yeah, I
Luke 22 Warning And Pride
SPEAKER_02like that.
SPEAKER_01Uh so let's let's read from uh Luke chapter 22. Um, this is Jesus talking. Simon Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Peter said to him, Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death. I'm willing to die for you. Jesus said, I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day until you deny me three times that you even know me. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02There's so much in that scripture that's fascinating. First, I mean, just little things. In some way, Satan still does have the ear of God. Like he still can be in the the presence of the Lord and make requests, just like he did in the days of Job. Um, he does to Peter, and he does to this day. And this is a reminder for us, one, that the Lord always is going to back us, right? We stay faithful with them. Um, and so Peter had sincere intentions, but he fell when his confidence became in himself.
SPEAKER_01And and part of that, one of the easy ones to remember is is walking on the water. Yeah. Uh we didn't have this in here, but it's kind of came into my head. For sure. Jesus said, Come out and walk to me. Yeah. And at first he's like, Yeah, this is awesome. Great, what a great. And then, like, he was like, Oh, I don't know about this. Focus on Jesus. Exactly. He turned his eye. Yep. And then he sank and he almost got eaten by a shark, I think. Is that in the text?
SPEAKER_02That's there's no I I don't know that there's sharks in the in the sea of where were they on the Sea of Galilee? The sea or the Dead Sea, one of those two. I mean, I probably not in the Dead Sea. I don't think there's sharks in there. I think the salt content is too high. Huh. I don't know.
SPEAKER_01Back on track. There's a there's a lesson in there that that confidence in yourself will it's gonna crumble under pressure. Yeah. So so confidence in Christ, though, will stand.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Um I I like Martin Luther, he once said, Life is not godly godliness, but growth in godliness. Not health, but healing. Yeah. And we're a process, right?
SPEAKER_01And and so is Peter. Absolutely.
Denial In The Courtyard
SPEAKER_01Uh if you fast forward from from when Jesus told him, he's go you're going to dime me. Yeah. Um, it says in uh verse 54 to 62, Peter follows Jesus at a distance. He's already setting up that, like, I don't right. That that's a problem. Words create worlds, yeah. Yep. Uh but he ends up in the courtyard, and and three times people say, You were with him, and three times Peter says, No, I don't know him.
SPEAKER_02This is just like just the the hard part in verse 61. Yeah. The Lord turns and looks straight at Peter. I like I get goosebumps and like heartache, and like my stomach turns, yeah. Just reading that verse and thinking as you know, as as the Lord, if that that were me. And so um, it's gotta be one of the most haunting and hurting lines in all of scripture.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely, yeah. Imagine that look, not of surprise. Jesus knew it was coming, he told him he was gonna do it. Jesus knew it was happening, but of of deep grief, it it made him grieve, uh, but also love. Yeah, like yeah, I I love you so much, and that this hurts that you've done this.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so the fifth petition of the Lord's Prayer, um, it says, We pray that our God would not look upon our sins um or deny our prayer because of them. And so this is the grace that we ask God for when we pray um in in uh in the in the Lord's Prayer. And Peter is desperately in need of it at this moment.
SPEAKER_01And that's that's the beautiful thing. That's that's not the the end of Peter's story. Oh,
Breakfast With Jesus And Recommissioning
SPEAKER_01amen. It continues in John 21. After the resurrection, uh Jesus cooks breakfast for the disciples. They're out in the boat, they're on the sea, they're fishing, and Jesus comes and he's cooking breakfast, and he asked him, Peter, three times. He comes back to this meal. Do you love me? That's Jesus' question to Peter.
SPEAKER_02I'm sorry, what kind of breakfast are they eating where they're eating fish? Yeah, that's like I I I just anchovies for breakfast, anchovies for any meal are disgusting. Agreed, but like, anyways, yeah, I just can't. Well, like, why not? I mean, I get they can't have ham. Sure, but they could have some eggs. Like, maybe. Were there eggs? It had to be eggs, right? Anyways, sorry. So, yeah, do you love me three times? Do you love me? Do you love me? Do you love me? Right. Each time, yes, Lord, feed my sheep. Jesus doesn't just for, and this is what I love. Jesus doesn't just forgive Peter, he recommissions him and he says, You still have purpose. And I, you hear me say this all the time, uh, like in my messages. I say, no matter who you are, where you've been, or what you've done, God's grace and love is for you. And and Peter's that that illustration, no matter who he was who he was, no matter where he's been, yeah, and no matter what he's done, yeah, God right here shows up. And I want to just throw this in as well. Like this is a difference between Peter and Judas. Yeah. Judas didn't trust and and didn't didn't didn't say, you know, that God could forgive me. And so he he just wasn't able to see the grace of God. Right. Um, and and because Judas's sin and Peter's sin are equal in in heartbreak to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01Right. Absolutely. Uh this recommissioning. Yeah. I'm reminded in Pastor Zach's book. Yeah. Um, he he describes the use of the phrase charcoal fire. Yeah. There's only two places in all the scripture that this phrase is used. And the the one at the breakfast that Jesus is cooking, and then before that was the fire in the courtyard where Peter denied him. And so the the interesting here thing here is Jesus cooking breakfast and he's he's recreating the scene. Wow. And that's good. The smell of the fire, the the feel of the warmth, the the heat of the fire, it had to just be coming rushing back to Peter. Yeah. And Peter, I gotta imagine it's be like, man, Jesus, what are you doing? Right. Like you're bringing me back to here. Yeah. This yeah doesn't feel right. Yeah. But at the same time, it he's bringing him back for something.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. And and that, right? Like, I mean, we know smell is one of the most um, one of those senses that brings us back to an experience more powerfully than any of the other of our five senses. But um so so this is uh even a turning, like Peter smelling the smell of fire went from that was the worst day of my life to that was the best day of my life. My risen, my risen Lord didn't bring me wrath, but brought me grace and truth. Yep. Um, and so so yeah, so um what what a blessing um as as he's thinking about Jesus. What are you doing here?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, exactly. Um, but again, Jesus, he's not raking him over the house. He's not shoving his face and look what you did. He's not doing that at all. He's showing him grace. And he's doing he's using the same circumstance to show him forgiveness. Yeah, he's using the same thing to be like, hey, remember what that was? Now it's gone. Yeah, it's over. Yeah. Uh he uses that scene as a launching pad to to a ministry for Peter that changes the world. Yeah. He's going out to the Gentiles and he is he is collecting souls for the kingdom of heaven. Yeah. And it's like Jesus is saying, Yeah, you messed up, but I've forgiven you. That's done. You're still my guy. Yeah. I'm sending you back in.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I think I think this is huge for us as men and as women. This is the reminder to each and every one of us that when you think you've done something that God's grace isn't for you, yeah. You look at Peter, you look at Paul. If God can forgive them, God can certainly forgive you. Yep. If God can forgive the thief on the cross, God can certainly forgive you. What when we say my sins are too far that God can't forgive me, I say, How are you so arrogant to think that your sins are the worst sins to ever be on the earth and beyond the actual grace of God?
SPEAKER_01Just listen to this podcast. Yeah, all the guys we've talked about have terrible, terrible things, right? Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So so your failure doesn't have to be final. Don't let that lie of Satan fill your mind.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Um Timothy Keller, another quote from him. Oh, I love that. Um, the gospel is this that we are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe. We think we're way better than we are. Yeah. Yet at the very same time, we're more loved and more accepted in Jesus than we ever dared hope. There's two sides to that in it.
SPEAKER_02I miss Tim Keller. Yeah, he's good. Yeah. So that's that's our story as well as Peter's story. Absolutely. And that that's our reality as well as Peter's reality.
Takeaways For Failure And Forward Steps
SPEAKER_02Yep. You know, so so I wouldn't challenge us three takeaways today. Um, with the Peter's uh failure and restoration. First of all, please know failure's inevitable, but you'll never it will never be final. Yeah, you're you will mess up, but the question is, will you get back up? Nice. And second, God's grace is always greater than your failure. Don't let shame ever keep you from running to Jesus. Send shame where it belongs, back to the pits of hell. That's not from God. And lastly, restoration leads to responsibility. Back to episode one. When God restores you, he will send you back out to serve.
SPEAKER_01Yep. And Luther drives this home. He says, Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime. Come on. So Peter's Peter's springtime came after a long winter, and so can yours.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. That's good. That's good.
SPEAKER_01So again, application here, 2026. How do we live that out as a man of God? What do we do?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, first, I mean, again, we're back. Peter kind of returns us a little back. Like, own your mistakes, don't hide from them. Yep. Confess them to God. Be vulnerable to God. And and even maybe someone you trust. Yeah. Like sometimes it's good to hear from another person, you're forgiven. And third, receive that grace like the truth that it is for you. Right. Um, and lastly, step back into the work God's called you to do. Don't don't leave the service God's given you.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. And don't wait till you feel worthy, right? Because you're not number one. But and that, yeah, it's just you're not going to be worthy enough. Yeah. You just aren't. No. So don't wait for it. It won't come. You go because he sends you, not because you're flawless. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02So this week, um, think about a failure that maybe you've been carrying like a backpack or like a rock um filled with bricks. Yeah. Um, confess it to God if needed, then confess it to someone else. Yep. And then take a step forward in in obedience and um serve because you didn't earn that grace. Right. It's already been given to you. Like it.
SPEAKER_01Peter's story shows us that the heart of godly masculinity, humility and failure, boldness and restoration, and faithfulness in moving forward. Come on.
SPEAKER_02And that's exactly what our world needs to see in men today.
SPEAKER_01Amen.
Next Week Preview And Wrap
SPEAKER_01That's it for Peter and this week. Join us next week as we look at the man model, Tyler Rolfe. Oh, come on. Wait, wait. Oh, sorry. That says can't read. It says model the model man. Whoops. Oh, my bad. Well, I hope Tyler's listening. Come on back to learn about the epitome of masculinity. Jesus Christ. Amen. Come on back.
SPEAKER_00Thanks for listening to Coffee Break Theology. Be sure to tune in next time and remember to check out our other podcast series available on every major podcast listening service.
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