“Amazing Grace for Peter”
“Amazing Grace” Series
Sermon Notes for Lesson 1
April 9, 2023
I. Easter & The Unique Claims of Christianity…
A. Most people in our nation will celebrate the Easter holiday today, but many of them will not validate the Easter story.
B. We believe that Jesus of Nazareth was a real person who was crucified and placed in a tomb. Then, on the third day, he really did come back from the dead, bodily and visibly! Here at Alpine, we believe that Easter is true!
C. Christianity is the only religion that claims its founder personally defeated
Easter means that Christianity is a big deal or a big lie. If the tomb is not
Jesus did not come to deliver you from all of the problems of life; rather, Jesus came to deliver us from the
Christianity claims that you get right with God not by merit, but by the free gift of his
D. A lot of us are better at believing in the resurrection than we are believing in
E. All of us have at least one epic
F. Reflection/Discussion Question: What are some possible reasons why people have difficulty believing in God’s amazing grace? When have been some times in your life when you have had difficulty believing in God’s grace? When have been some times in your life when God’s grace has been very “real” to you?
II. Peter’s Big Fail…
A. If you asked Peter, what was your biggest fail, what might he say? (Luke 22:34)
B. Shortly after Jesus was arrested, Peter followed at a distance and
his relationship with Jesus three separate times. (Matthew 26:69-75)
C. We are better at remembering our
_ than remembering God’s best!
D. Scripture has many names for Satan and one of them is the
. (Revelation 12:9-10)
E. We may conclude, perhaps like Peter, that Jesus’ “comeback” doesn’t mean I get to have one. Consider the possible implications of Peter’s statement: “I’m going
_.” (John 21:3)
F. Reflection/Discussion Question: Think about a time in your life when you “messed up.” Think about a time when you experienced one of your biggest “fails.” How did the “Accuser” attack you during those times in your life? How did those experiences impact your relationship with God and how you viewed your usefulness to Him?
III. Peter Experiences God’s Amazing Grace…
A. Jesus wants Peter to know that He wants to
him. (Mark 16:7)
B. Jesus prepares breakfast for
_ and the disciples. (John 21:9-14)
C. Jesus commissions rather than
_ Peter. (John 21:15-19)
1. Peter learned there was something bigger than his biggest
_!
2. Jesus has no choice but to use people like you and me that have a lot of
_ on the resume.
D. You cannot sin yourself outside the reach of the
of God! (Romans 4:25)
E. When God buries your “fail” in the blood of Christ, that “fail” is never resurrected again! That’s because God is better at forgiving and fixing than we are at failing! (Romans 8:1)
F. Jesus did not come to tell us how bad we are. Rather, Jesus came to show us how
God is!
G. Reflection/Discussion Question: Take a moment to reflect on and describe an experience or two when you discovered that God’s grace was much bigger than one of your “fails?” What kinds of things get in the way of us experiencing how truly amazing God’s grace really is? How might we do a better job reflecting and demonstrating God’s grace to others?