New Beginnings
Many Christians today are in an unhealthy place in their walk with God because they’re weighed down by things like guilt, shame, hurts, regrets, and failures from the past.
In his book, Hope in Times of Fear, which he wrote after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Tim Keller writes on the meaning of resurrection: “Doesn’t nature itself teach you that after winter comes spring? That even in a disaster and after death there can be new beginnings? That even in our misfortunes, we can discover lessons, we can grow, and we can begin afresh.”
Before the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, Jesus spoke to his disciple saying, “And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Mark 14:27). After the Passover, Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives where He often taught His disciples. There, Jesus reveals to them that they were all going to fall away and specifically that Peter would deny Him. Jesus knew that when they saw His arrest, His trial, and ensuing crucifixion, they would become fearful and flee.
Why did Jesus reveal to His disciples that they would all fall away? And why did He specifically prophesy that a rooster would crow twice as a reminder to Peter of what Jesus said he would do, deny Him 3 times? Notice that sandwiched between Jesus revealing to His disciples that they will all desert Him and that Peter would deny Him 3 times, Jesus said, “But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee” (Mark 14:28).
After revealing that they would all abandon Him in His darkest hour, Jesus doesn’t say, "but when I rise from the dead you will miss out on all that I had planned for you." He didn’t say, "wherever you’re hiding out, I will find you and I will make you regret what you did for the rest of your lives." Rather, as James Coffman explained, “Christ here went far beyond the detailed prophecies of His Passion and calmly set up an appointment to meet the Twelve in Galilee after the Great Sacrifice had been offered. Nothing in literature, fable, myth, legend, or imagination is worthy to be compared with what Christ promised in this verse. [Moreover], He did it!”
Now it’s clear in the scriptures why Jesus would reveal to His disciples that He would rise from the dead. The promise of His resurrection would assure them, and assures us today, that all of Jesus’ promises are true and faithful. Because He conquered death, we can trust that He is able to come through on His promise to give life to all who believe.
But Jesus didn’t just assure them that He would rise from the dead. He said, “But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee” (Mark 14:28). Galilee was a place where our Lord and His disciples could commune with one another away from the crowds so that Jesus could encourage them and instruct them in the things concerning the kingdom of God. Moreover, Jesus would wait for them in Galilee because He had more disciples there to whom He would offer Himself and manifest His resurrection than He had in Judea. But more significantly, His disciples were from Galilee. He was waiting for them at the place where He found them. He’s taking them back to where their journey with Jesus began.
Jesus did more than just remind His disciples, who were going to abandon Him, that He would rise from the dead. He set up an appointment to meet them in Galilee. He’s telling them that He will be waiting for them there. And Jesus is not speaking like a father who says to a disobedient child, “Wait until we get home, you’re going to get it.” He’s assuring them that, although they may have let Him down, He will not let them down.
But although seeing the risen Jesus should have been a time of celebration for the disciples, I want to suggest to you that there may have been some lingering regret, shame, and guilt in their hearts, especially in Peter's. We know that after denying the Lord for the third time that he went out and wept bitterly. This lingering shame may have made them reluctant about seeing Jesus again and may have caused them to doubt whether He would still use them for His kingdom purposes. This is why He makes an appointment to meet them in Galilee after He rose from the dead, the place where it all began.
Likewise, if you’re saved today, Jesus wants you to know that you may have failed Him, but He will not fail you. You may have denied Him, but He will not deny you. You may have even forsaken Him when it mattered most, but He hasn’t forsaken you and He never will.
I so appreciate how Jim Cymbala put it: “Do you know what Galilee is? Galilee was where He first called them. That’s where He started with them. In others words, He was saying, you might have given up on Him, but He will never give up on you. You might have made a disaster of the whole thing but He’s not throwing you away. He wants to start over. He wants to take you back to the place where you first started. Jesus not only gives another start, He gives 1000 new beginnings. How many of you have found that [to be true] in your own life?
You might feel unworthy to come to Jesus, but Galilee means He’s not done with you. He knew you would mess up before you messed up. But go back to Galilee. He never gave up on you. He’s Amazing. I’ve given Him 10000 reasons to give up on me. Anybody here with me? But He never gave up, never gave up. Satan is a liar.
If you feel like, ‘It’s too late’ or ‘I missed my moment’ or ‘I messed up too much and I’m ashamed of it,’ I’m telling you, go back to Galilee. Go back to where you started. Go back in your heart to when you had childlike faith, and say, ‘Jesus help me; I need you.’ He will start with you right there. I’m so glad He doesn’t throw people away. [You may still be saying in your heart], ‘But I’m unworthy.’ No, [Jesus is saying to you], ‘my love is greater than your mess up. My strength is greater than your weakness.’”
Have you ever felt distant in a relationship with someone that you once were close to? The distance that people feel from those that they were once close to doesn’t just happen suddenly. Married couples that break up often say things like, we just grew apart. But growing apart doesn’t just happen. Couples often grow distant because they fail to make intentional investments to cultivate intimacy in their marriage.
To the church of Ephesus, Jesus said, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first” (Revelation 2:4-5). On more than one occasion, I’ve heard a professing Christian who feels distant in their relationship with the Lord, say, “I’ve lost my first love.” But notice that to the church of Ephesus Jesus didn’t say, you lost your first love. Jesus said, “you have ‘abandoned’ the love you had at first.” And Jesus' prescription for returning to a first love relationship is to remember, repent, and do the first works. What were you doing before that you are not doing now?
What most often leads to spiritual drift is that we neglect spending meaningful time in communion with the Lord. We neglect to be with Him. Remember that Jesus said to His disciples that after He paid the debt of their sin on the cross and rose from the dead, He would go before them into Galilee. Galilee was a place where Jesus and His disciples could commune with one another away from the crowds so that He might instruct them in the things concerning the kingdom of God.
It’s important to note that communion with God in prayer and the word is more than a one-way conversation. John Piper explained in a sermon that for years George Mueller, who was a man of great faith and was mightily used of God, tried to pray without starting in the Bible in the morning. Inevitably, his mind wandered. Then he started with the Bible, and turned the Book into prayer as he read, and for 40 years he was able to stay focused and powerful in prayer. Piper then notes, “I have seen that those whose prayers are most saturated with Scripture are generally most fervent and most effective in prayer. And where the mind isn't brimming with the Bible, the heart is not generally brimming with prayer.”
Where are you today? Have you drifted from the Lord? Have you abandoned your first love? Like the disciples, have you made mistakes you regret and never thought you would ever make? Do you feel like God can’t use you because of something you did in the past? Are you struggling with a sin issue in your life that is making it hard for you to come to church, read your bible or even pray? Have you been isolating yourself because you feel like a hypocrite rather than being open and honest about where you are in your walk with God? Have you ever had a relationship with the Lord?
Jesus is alive and as He waited for His wandering disciples in Galilee after paying the debt of their sin, He’s waiting for you with love and resurrection power to renew, restore, and give you a fresh start. You may have given up on Him, but He’s not given up on you. He’s waiting for you to come humbly and in faith knowing that in love He will receive you. He’s waiting to bring you back to where you once where so that you can get to where He wants you to be. He’s waiting for you to come to Him not to condemn you, but to restore you to a place where you will once again experience the joy of fellowship with Him and the power of His resurrection in your life. With childlike faith cry out, “Jesus help me; I need you.” He will start with you right there.
In your service,
Pastor Marco
In his book, Hope in Times of Fear, which he wrote after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Tim Keller writes on the meaning of resurrection: “Doesn’t nature itself teach you that after winter comes spring? That even in a disaster and after death there can be new beginnings? That even in our misfortunes, we can discover lessons, we can grow, and we can begin afresh.”
Before the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, Jesus spoke to his disciple saying, “And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Mark 14:27). After the Passover, Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives where He often taught His disciples. There, Jesus reveals to them that they were all going to fall away and specifically that Peter would deny Him. Jesus knew that when they saw His arrest, His trial, and ensuing crucifixion, they would become fearful and flee.
Why did Jesus reveal to His disciples that they would all fall away? And why did He specifically prophesy that a rooster would crow twice as a reminder to Peter of what Jesus said he would do, deny Him 3 times? Notice that sandwiched between Jesus revealing to His disciples that they will all desert Him and that Peter would deny Him 3 times, Jesus said, “But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee” (Mark 14:28).
After revealing that they would all abandon Him in His darkest hour, Jesus doesn’t say, "but when I rise from the dead you will miss out on all that I had planned for you." He didn’t say, "wherever you’re hiding out, I will find you and I will make you regret what you did for the rest of your lives." Rather, as James Coffman explained, “Christ here went far beyond the detailed prophecies of His Passion and calmly set up an appointment to meet the Twelve in Galilee after the Great Sacrifice had been offered. Nothing in literature, fable, myth, legend, or imagination is worthy to be compared with what Christ promised in this verse. [Moreover], He did it!”
Now it’s clear in the scriptures why Jesus would reveal to His disciples that He would rise from the dead. The promise of His resurrection would assure them, and assures us today, that all of Jesus’ promises are true and faithful. Because He conquered death, we can trust that He is able to come through on His promise to give life to all who believe.
But Jesus didn’t just assure them that He would rise from the dead. He said, “But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee” (Mark 14:28). Galilee was a place where our Lord and His disciples could commune with one another away from the crowds so that Jesus could encourage them and instruct them in the things concerning the kingdom of God. Moreover, Jesus would wait for them in Galilee because He had more disciples there to whom He would offer Himself and manifest His resurrection than He had in Judea. But more significantly, His disciples were from Galilee. He was waiting for them at the place where He found them. He’s taking them back to where their journey with Jesus began.
Jesus did more than just remind His disciples, who were going to abandon Him, that He would rise from the dead. He set up an appointment to meet them in Galilee. He’s telling them that He will be waiting for them there. And Jesus is not speaking like a father who says to a disobedient child, “Wait until we get home, you’re going to get it.” He’s assuring them that, although they may have let Him down, He will not let them down.
But although seeing the risen Jesus should have been a time of celebration for the disciples, I want to suggest to you that there may have been some lingering regret, shame, and guilt in their hearts, especially in Peter's. We know that after denying the Lord for the third time that he went out and wept bitterly. This lingering shame may have made them reluctant about seeing Jesus again and may have caused them to doubt whether He would still use them for His kingdom purposes. This is why He makes an appointment to meet them in Galilee after He rose from the dead, the place where it all began.
Likewise, if you’re saved today, Jesus wants you to know that you may have failed Him, but He will not fail you. You may have denied Him, but He will not deny you. You may have even forsaken Him when it mattered most, but He hasn’t forsaken you and He never will.
I so appreciate how Jim Cymbala put it: “Do you know what Galilee is? Galilee was where He first called them. That’s where He started with them. In others words, He was saying, you might have given up on Him, but He will never give up on you. You might have made a disaster of the whole thing but He’s not throwing you away. He wants to start over. He wants to take you back to the place where you first started. Jesus not only gives another start, He gives 1000 new beginnings. How many of you have found that [to be true] in your own life?
You might feel unworthy to come to Jesus, but Galilee means He’s not done with you. He knew you would mess up before you messed up. But go back to Galilee. He never gave up on you. He’s Amazing. I’ve given Him 10000 reasons to give up on me. Anybody here with me? But He never gave up, never gave up. Satan is a liar.
If you feel like, ‘It’s too late’ or ‘I missed my moment’ or ‘I messed up too much and I’m ashamed of it,’ I’m telling you, go back to Galilee. Go back to where you started. Go back in your heart to when you had childlike faith, and say, ‘Jesus help me; I need you.’ He will start with you right there. I’m so glad He doesn’t throw people away. [You may still be saying in your heart], ‘But I’m unworthy.’ No, [Jesus is saying to you], ‘my love is greater than your mess up. My strength is greater than your weakness.’”
Have you ever felt distant in a relationship with someone that you once were close to? The distance that people feel from those that they were once close to doesn’t just happen suddenly. Married couples that break up often say things like, we just grew apart. But growing apart doesn’t just happen. Couples often grow distant because they fail to make intentional investments to cultivate intimacy in their marriage.
To the church of Ephesus, Jesus said, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first” (Revelation 2:4-5). On more than one occasion, I’ve heard a professing Christian who feels distant in their relationship with the Lord, say, “I’ve lost my first love.” But notice that to the church of Ephesus Jesus didn’t say, you lost your first love. Jesus said, “you have ‘abandoned’ the love you had at first.” And Jesus' prescription for returning to a first love relationship is to remember, repent, and do the first works. What were you doing before that you are not doing now?
What most often leads to spiritual drift is that we neglect spending meaningful time in communion with the Lord. We neglect to be with Him. Remember that Jesus said to His disciples that after He paid the debt of their sin on the cross and rose from the dead, He would go before them into Galilee. Galilee was a place where Jesus and His disciples could commune with one another away from the crowds so that He might instruct them in the things concerning the kingdom of God.
It’s important to note that communion with God in prayer and the word is more than a one-way conversation. John Piper explained in a sermon that for years George Mueller, who was a man of great faith and was mightily used of God, tried to pray without starting in the Bible in the morning. Inevitably, his mind wandered. Then he started with the Bible, and turned the Book into prayer as he read, and for 40 years he was able to stay focused and powerful in prayer. Piper then notes, “I have seen that those whose prayers are most saturated with Scripture are generally most fervent and most effective in prayer. And where the mind isn't brimming with the Bible, the heart is not generally brimming with prayer.”
Where are you today? Have you drifted from the Lord? Have you abandoned your first love? Like the disciples, have you made mistakes you regret and never thought you would ever make? Do you feel like God can’t use you because of something you did in the past? Are you struggling with a sin issue in your life that is making it hard for you to come to church, read your bible or even pray? Have you been isolating yourself because you feel like a hypocrite rather than being open and honest about where you are in your walk with God? Have you ever had a relationship with the Lord?
Jesus is alive and as He waited for His wandering disciples in Galilee after paying the debt of their sin, He’s waiting for you with love and resurrection power to renew, restore, and give you a fresh start. You may have given up on Him, but He’s not given up on you. He’s waiting for you to come humbly and in faith knowing that in love He will receive you. He’s waiting to bring you back to where you once where so that you can get to where He wants you to be. He’s waiting for you to come to Him not to condemn you, but to restore you to a place where you will once again experience the joy of fellowship with Him and the power of His resurrection in your life. With childlike faith cry out, “Jesus help me; I need you.” He will start with you right there.
In your service,
Pastor Marco