Which one is it?

In April of 2003, as I was sitting in my car reflecting on the sermon I had just heard, I realized that something was missing in my life. The pastor had been talking about driving through Pennsylvania and how easily some of the roads can turn very dangerous if you are on the wrong road. He then asked this question: what road are you on? I remember just sitting there and thinking in that moment that I was on the wrong road and there was only one solution, Jesus. I left that service and looked at my wife and said, “I think I’m going to go get saved.” That day changed my life, and I have never been the same since. 

Right away, I learned that being a Christian was not going to make life easier and that sin was going to be more prevalent because it was now being exposed, instead of hidden. I, of course, had a struggle with all these bad habits that I had created for my life and quickly felt like I was going to be swallowed up with guilt and shame. I tried so hard to deal with my sin in so many ways other than turning to God in repentance, and when I did go to God, it was like waiting for the hammer to come down on me. The reality was that conviction and condemnation looked so similar to me that I couldn’t tell what I was dealing with, and so I would try and figure out what to do to make God happy with me. I want to look at the examples of 2 men that walked with Jesus and see how they handled the sin in their lives and what we can learn from it. 

In Matthew 27:3-5, we see this: Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!” Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.

Then in John 21:5-8 we see: Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish. Therefore, that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 

So the first thing that we see is Judas knew that He was wrong and even admitted to it; yet He never sought the one who could actually forgive him. In fact, that word remorseful does mean to be emotionally sorry, but Judas went right back to the religious roots that he knew and allowed earthly sorrow to destroy him. When the religious leaders said to him, “You see to it,” they were literally announcing his death in that moment because Judas couldn’t face Jesus and the condemnation he felt was too much. Peter, just the same, was sorrowful and went back to what he knew, fishing; he buried himself in work, you might say. Then Peter sees Jesus and He leaves everything to go to Him, and the crazy part was they weren’t even that far out, maybe 100 yards, but he couldn’t wait to get in front of the only one who could offer forgiveness. See, Peter felt convicted, but he allowed his conviction to bring him to the feet of the Savior and to receive the forgiveness that he so desperately needed. I want you to notice something else important: before Peter went to Jesus, He called ALL of them children and even gave them food to eat. Jesus provides for every need we have even when we don’t do it all right. 

It is so easy for you and me to be like Judas whenever we have sinned and not like Peter. In fact, it’s easier to be like Judas because we think that if we can just manage whatever sin we have, we can fix everything. The thing is, God doesn’t want us to try and manage our sin. He wants us to confess it and trust Him for our repentance and our restoration. This doesn’t mean that we should continue in sin or that God doesn’t care if you do sin. It simply means that condemnation tells us that there is no hope, but conviction from God tells us to agree by confessing and trust Gods grace to forgive us because Jesus paid that price. See, the enemy wants you to think that you have no hope, but God is going to take care of you just like He did Peter, and He loved you so much He died for you. His conviction lets us know that He is still changing us and we are still on the right road Home. 

"CHRIST WENT MORE WILLINGLY TO THE CROSS THAN WE DO TO THE THRONE OF GRACE." -THOMAS WATSON

Today, if you are here and you don’t know Jesus, I want to ask you, what road are you on? There is a wide road that leads to destruction and there is a narrow road that leads to life. As He said to the woman caught in adultery in John chapter 8:10b-11, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”  Turn to Jesus today and receive His forgiveness.