Restoration of a Backslidder — E.A. Johnston

Restoration of a Backslider

Today, we will be in the last chapter of the Gospel of John, friends. You may turn in your Bibles there now. Our subject today is the backslider. The title of my message today is Restoration of a Backslider.

The Universal Struggle of Backsliding

If we were honest before God, we could say of ourselves that every man and woman here today has at some point fit the description of our subject today. You personally know what it's like to be a backslider.

Man is born with a rune nature and a bent toward sin. And while the Holy Spirit is given to us at our conversion, we have to admit that at times he can be present without being precedent. He can be dormant without being dominant.

Satan's Devices and the Spiritual Danger of Sin

And it's during these times of spiritual dullness and spiritual apathy that Satan lines his dark forces against us to tempt us to sin. His methods are many, and his arsenal is full, and his devices are at times bombarding us with his cannons of hell pointed right at us.

He will create a perfect storm for us to sin. But the Apostle Peter failed in his attempt to fight for Jesus and go to death for him as he so previously boasted in front of all the other disciples. All Peter eventually did was to cut a man's ear off with a wild swing of a sword, and then he took to flight like a coward, as did all the other disciples.

But the other disciples didn't fall into an abomination of sins like Peter did and, as Christ predicted, in denying his Lord, not once, but three consecutive times. Peter knew full well what it felt like to be a backslider, and he was miserable.

Satan will aim his weapons at us as well, friends, for the devil hates any follower of Christ Jesus. Like I said, Satan will create a perfect storm for you to sin, and here are some of his devices. He will use dissatisfaction in an area of our life.

He will use disappointment in others. He will tempt us to believe that God has abandoned us, that God has forgotten us, that God no longer cares for us. For if he really did, then why won't he come and deliver us from the terrible trial that we are in?

He will say to you, God doesn't love you, or he will put you in a time of prosperity and security like King David, only to fall morally into sexual sin. Either way, Satan knows how to push your hot button to get you to sin.

In the first epistle of John, we read, if we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Like I said, the term backslider can apply to everyone here at one time or another who is a blood-bought believer in Christ Jesus, and to some of you, it may apply right now.

Separation from God and the Hope of John 21

You may be away from God right now. Amos 3 .3 declares, can two walk together except they be agreed? Well, the answer is of course not. Perhaps the sin of disobedience has put you on the wrong side of God and has broken your sweet fellowship with him.

But as we are going to see today, friends, in our text, that there is hope for the backslider. In John chapter 21, we find the tender story of Jesus appearing to his disciples at the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

It was here where he first called Peter and Andrew and John and James. Now it is his third resurrection appearance to them, and this particular time it is with a single purpose more than a corporate one.

He is yet to deal with Peter for his denial of him. Jesus is standing on the shore with a fire of coals near him to cook breakfast for his men, and it is the smell of charcoal which wafts over the water to Peter's boat and fills his nostrils and excites his senses, for the last time he smelled coals burning was when he warmed his hands at the courtyard of denial.

So it is this smell of charcoal that quickens his memory to the last time he smelled it, and once again he is humbled and filled with regret as he and his fellow disciples fish all night in our text says.

And that night they caught nothing. It is significant to us for any backslider knows in his or her heart that nothing good for God can be done in a season of backsliding. Religion may carry on, duties may be performed, people may be fooled, but you can't fool God.

I used to attend a church where the staff minister in charge of prayer would lead the congregation in the weekly prayer meeting each week, and he'd pray. It really disturbs me even to think about this, but he'd pray the most God-honoring prayers, yet during this time it was discovered that he was raping his 14-year-old son all the while he was the prayer minister for that church.

There is a great danger in being away from God and still performing religious duties, as the sons of Eli would soon find out. Well, here in our passage in John today we see that these seasoned fishermen labored all night in vain, did not our Lord tell them in John 15 5, for without me ye can do nothing.

That means nothing that counts for eternity. There are several aspects I want to bring out of our passage today, friends, as they relate to the restoration of a backslider. Number one, Jesus showed himself.

Jesus Shows Himself and Speaks to the Backslider

Verse 1 states, After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias, and on this wise showed he himself. And they'll be true in our case as well, friends, that when the good shepherd is ready to go fetch his straying sheep, he will show up in your life by his word and by his spirit.

The next thing Jesus does is our second aspect. He speaks to them. Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? The word children should really be translated boys. Boys, have ye any meat? They tell him no, but he already knew that.

He just wanted them to admit they could do nothing apart from him, as he is still teaching his men how to live in a wicked world and still follow the Savior. Jesus then directs them to cast the net on the right side of the ship, for the Creator has sovereignly moved a large school of fish over there.

And they were just waiting to be caught. Here Jesus performs another miracle for them, the miracle of the draught of fish. But this is all secondary to the primary motive that Christ was there that particular morning.

He appeared unto them, then he spoke to them. That's why it's so important to maintain a daily devotional time. So God can show up and speak to you. If you're a real Christian, then you live a supernatural life where the life of God is in the soul of man.

A born again believer will walk closely with his God and be sensitive to his spirit when he grieves or quenches the Holy Spirit by sin. Jesus then has them draw the net of fish to land, all 153 of them.

And this puts a smile on these fishermen's faces. In fact, when John tells Peter it is the Lord, he gets so excited to be with his master that he jumps in the water to swim to Jesus so he can be the first to greet him.

Well, Jesus cooks them a hearty breakfast for hungry fishermen, and they were all sitting around him on the shore as the day breaks and the sun comes up enjoying his fellowship. When all of a sudden Jesus pierces the air with a statement and makes it personal.

Jesus Confronts Sin Personally

And this is the next aspect I want us to see about how God deals with the backslider. He makes it personal because all sin is against him personally. We pick up our text in verse 15. So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?

I will pause here, friends, to say when we are away from God in sin, when we have turned our backsides to him, he must first deal with the sin that broke fellowship with him to begin with. He will make it personal because he takes it personally when we sin.

Don't ever forget that, friend. Sin is always against God, against his attributes, against his nature. So Jesus is addressing Peter's boast that he loved Jesus more than his fellow disciples because he'd be the first one, the only one willing to die for him.

But in reality, when the rubber met the road, Peter ran like a coward, just like the rest of them. So three times here in our passage, Jesus asks Peter the same line of questions concerning his love for him.

Why did not the master say over in John 14, 15, if you love me, keep my commandments? It's important for us to grasp that and make that verse a reality in our lives because contrary to modern preaching, Jesus never taught sin and religion.

Don't ever forget that, friends. In the day we live in, in our modern worldly church where we've thrown holiness right out the window, to be a holy roller today is to be a carnival freak. Well, Jesus deals with Peter one-on-one and restores Peter to fellowship with him.

Restoring First Love Through Repentance

And that's my last point. Jesus will bring to our minds the love problem and show us our need to repent and return to him. Was the love problem not the issue with the early church? I believe over in Revelation, the risen Christ dealt with the love problem of the Ephesian church in Revelation 2, 4.

We read, nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love. Hasn't a marriage gone bad? One of the partners will lose their passion and love for the other spouse. When you first married that person, you couldn't wait to get in their presence and spend time with them.

When I first met my wife, I was so taken up with her. I'd take her out to dinner and our food would be cold on our plates because we'd rather talk to one another instead of eat. You can always spot an old married couple in a restaurant.

They're the ones absorbed in their meals while they ignore one another. And the same thing takes place with the backslider. It's not so much a sin problem as it is a love problem. We've gone cold on Jesus.

We've replaced him with other things. Gone is the passion and fervency and excitement of a new believer because thou hast left thy first love. Jesus will always restore a backslider with his love. All the while that Jesus was addressing Peter on the beach that morning by asking him if he loved him.

All Peter had to do was to look down at those nail pierced hands to see the demonstration of the love of Christ who loved me and gave himself for me on that bloody cross at Calvary. Well, I want to take the time now, friends, to address the backslider here among us today.

Returning to God Through Grace and Repentance

You know you are away from God. You know that sin is the reason why you turned away from God. And deep down, friend, if you were totally honest with yourself, you would admit your backsliding began with a love problem as you gradually lost your passion for Jesus.

But we must maintain the coals on the altar of our hearts for if we are truly saved, we are constantly in a battle with the world, the flesh and the devil. But the bloodstained Christ who saved you loved you enough to die for your friend.

And we love him because he first loved us. God has a promise to you in his word and Malachi. And he's talking to you today, friend, by saying to you, return unto me and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.

Go get along with God, friend, and tell him how much you love him and how sorry you are for leaving him and ask him for the grace of repentance to return to him and enjoy sweet fellowship with him once again.

He's waiting for you to return. He never stopped loving you, no matter what Satan's told you. He never forgot about you once. You were always on his mind and in his heart. Lord, take this message today and apply it to the heart by your spirit in the strong name of Jesus.

Amen.