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    Apr 11, 2021

    The Past is Prologue

    Passage: John 21:1-19

    Speaker: Doug Swagerty

    Category: Sermon

    Sermon Summary:
    Peter's Journey

    The Setting:

    1. Peter has Redefined himself in light of his failure
    2. Peter has Retreated to his comfort zone
    3. Peter is Frustrated


    The Encounter:

    1. Jesus Reveals Himself (v 6-9)
    2. Jesus Refreshes Peter (v 10-14)
    3. Jesus Restores Peter (v 15-17)
      • But there's more: Jesus changes the way Peter thinks about the past:
        1. Agape/Phileo (v 15) --> Agape/Phileo (v 16) --> Phileo/Phileo (v 17) --> "Feed my sheep"
          1. Jesus meets Peter at the point of his failure, and tells him he still has a place in Jesus' mission.
    4. Jesus gives Peter Hope (v 18-19)
      1. In telling him the way he would die, Jesus assures Peter that in the future he will not deny Jesus, but follow Him to the uttermost. This is what Peter needed most and it gave him new life.
      2. "You can't go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending." C.S. Lewis


    Discussion Questions:

    1. What resonates with you in this passage of Scripture?
    2. Have you ever struggled with letting your failure define you? Share.
    3. Has Jesus ever changed the way you think about your past? Share.
    4. In what specific ways has Jesus restored you?
    5. Pray for one another.