The Distance That Destroys

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

November 30th Sermon, Day 2

There's a subtle but dangerous pattern that often precedes our biggest spiritual failures: we start following Jesus from a distance. Peter didn't wake up that morning planning to deny his Lord. The denial was the culmination of a series of small compromises that began when he chose to follow 'at a distance.'

When we maintain distance from Jesus - whether through neglecting prayer, avoiding Scripture, or surrounding ourselves with influences that pull us away from him - we set ourselves up for compromise. The farther we drift, the easier it becomes to make choices we never thought we'd make. Peter found himself warming his hands at the enemy's fire, literally and figuratively. He was trying to stay close enough to see what would happen to Jesus, but far enough away to avoid personal risk. This middle ground became dangerous territory where his courage failed him.

We do this too, don't we? We want to maintain our faith but also fit in with the crowd. We want to follow Jesus but not at the cost of comfort or convenience. We try to have one foot in the kingdom and one foot in the world, thinking we can manage both. The truth is, spiritual compromise rarely happens overnight. It's usually the result of gradual drift, small compromises, and the slow erosion of our spiritual disciplines. When crisis comes, we find ourselves unprepared, relying on our own strength rather than the power that comes from staying close to Jesus. Closeness to Christ isn't just about feeling good - it's about spiritual survival. It's about having the strength to stand when everything around us is falling apart.

Bible Verse

'But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said. About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.' - Luke 22:56-62

Reflection Question

In what areas of your life have you been following Jesus 'at a distance,' and how might this be affecting your spiritual strength?

Quote The farther we get from Jesus, the easier it becomes to compromise.

Prayer

Father, I don't want to follow you from a distance. Draw me close to you through your Word, prayer, and fellowship with other believers. Help me recognize when I'm drifting and give me the desire to return to intimacy with you. Amen.

When We Blow It

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

November 30th Sermon, Day 1

Have you ever had one of those moments where you knew you completely messed up? Maybe it was a harsh word spoken in anger, a promise broken, or a moment when fear made you choose the easy path instead of the right one. We've all been there, and if we're honest, it's a terrible feeling.

Peter understood this feeling all too well. Here was a man whose very name meant 'rock' - someone who was supposed to be steady, courageous, and unwavering. Yet when the pressure mounted and fear crept in, he spectacularly failed his calling. In front of a simple servant girl, this bold fisherman who had walked on water and declared Jesus as the Son of God suddenly claimed he didn't even know him.

What's striking about Peter's failure isn't just that it happened, but why it happened. He didn't stop loving Jesus. Fear simply overwhelmed his love. The fear of suffering, of losing his reputation, of facing an uncertain future - these anxieties caused him to compromise everything he believed in. The beautiful truth is that our failures, while painful, don't surprise Jesus. He knows our weaknesses better than we do. Peter's denial was devastating to him personally, but it wasn't the end of his story. Sometimes our biggest failures become the doorway to our greatest breakthroughs, because they force us to confront our need for grace.

Today, if you're carrying the weight of a recent failure or a long-held regret, remember that Jesus sees beyond your worst moments. Your failure doesn't define you - his love does.

Bible Verse

'But he denied it. "Woman, I don't know him," he said. About an hour later another asserted, "Certainly this fellow was with him, for he is a Galilean." Peter replied, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.' - Luke 22:56-62

Reflection Question

What fears in your life might be causing you to compromise your values or distance yourself from what you know is right?

Quote Peter didn't deny Jesus because he stopped loving him. He denied him because he didn't want to suffer, and he feared what following Jesus might cost his reputation, his safety, and his comfort.

Prayer

Lord, I confess that fear sometimes gets the better of me. Help me to be honest about my failures and weaknesses, knowing that you love me completely even in my worst moments. Give me courage to face my fears with your strength rather than my own. Amen.

The Grace of Second Chances

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

November 23rd Sermon, Day 5

Here's the most encouraging part of Peter's story: his biggest failure didn't disqualify him from God's purposes. Jesus rebuked Peter sharply, but He didn't reject him. In fact, this moment of correction became a turning point that prepared Peter for incredible leadership in the early church. The same Peter who resisted the cross would later preach boldly about it. The same Peter who tried to protect Jesus from suffering would later willingly suffer for Jesus. God doesn't discard us when we misunderstand Him or resist His ways. Instead, He shapes us, restores us, and calls us again. This is the heart of grace - not that we never fail, but that our failures don't have the final word.

Every time we mess up, every time we miss the point, every time we try to lead instead of follow, God is still working. He's still shaping us. He's still calling us. Peter's story teaches us that obedience today becomes clarity tomorrow. We don't have to understand everything God is doing to trust Him and follow Him. Sometimes the very thing we resist becomes the thing God uses most powerfully in our lives.

If you've been feeling disqualified because of past mistakes or current struggles, take heart. God's grace is bigger than your failures, and His calling on your life is stronger than your resistance to it. Like Peter, your greatest moments of growth often come through your greatest moments of correction. God isn't finished with you yet.

Bible Verse

"Jesus turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.'" - Matthew 16:23

Reflection Question

How has God used past failures or corrections in your life to prepare you for something greater?

Quote Jesus didn't give up on Peter. Jesus rebuked Peter, but he didn't reject him.

Prayer

Thank You, Lord, that Your grace is bigger than my failures and Your calling stronger than my resistance. Help me to receive Your correction with humility and trust that You're still working in my life. I believe You're not finished with me yet. Amen.

Where Comfort Ends, Calling Begins

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

November 23rd Sermon, Day 4

There's something beautiful and terrifying about this truth: our calling often begins exactly where our comfort ends. Peter discovered this when Jesus revealed that following Him would lead to a cross, not a crown. Everything Peter thought he knew about his future with Jesus was suddenly turned upside down.

But here's what Peter couldn't see in that moment - this uncomfortable revelation was actually the beginning of his greatest calling. God has a way of using our most uncomfortable moments to birth our most significant purposes. The job loss that leads to a new career. The health scare that redirects our priorities. The relationship that ends and opens our hearts to serve others in pain. The dream that dies and makes room for God's bigger dream. We naturally resist discomfort, but God often uses it as a doorway to something greater. This doesn't mean God causes our pain, but He certainly knows how to use it for our good and His glory.

When Jesus disrupted Peter's comfortable expectations, He wasn't being cruel - He was preparing Peter for a calling that would impact the entire world. Sometimes God has to make us uncomfortable with where we are before we'll be willing to go where He wants to take us. The question isn't whether discomfort will come - it's whether we'll let it become a stepping stone to our calling or a stumbling block to our faith.

Bible Verse

"From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." - Matthew 16:21

Reflection Question

What area of discomfort in your life might God be using to prepare you for a greater calling?

Quote Calling often begins where comfort ends.

Prayer

Father, help me to see discomfort not as something to avoid, but as a potential doorway to Your purposes. Give me courage to step out of my comfort zone when You're calling me to something greater. I trust that Your plans for me are good. Amen.

Loving Jesus As He Is

Sunday Rewind is a 5-day Devotional based on the weekly sermon at Resonate Community Church

November 23rd Sermon, Day 3

There's a profound difference between loving Jesus and loving our idea of Jesus. Peter fell into this trap, and if we're honest, so do we. We can be passionate about our faith, active in church, and still find ourselves loving a version of Jesus that we've created rather than the Jesus who actually is. We want the Jesus who blesses our plans but not the one who might disrupt them. We want the Jesus who opens doors but not the one who sometimes closes them for our good. We want the Savior but not the sacrifice that comes with following Him.

Peter loved the idea of a Messiah who would make his life easier, more comfortable, more successful by worldly standards. But Jesus came to make our lives meaningful, not necessarily easier. He came to transform us, not just to give us what we want. The question that pierces through all our religious activity is this: Do we love Jesus as He actually is, or do we love our customized version of Him?

The real Jesus calls us to take up our cross daily. He calls us to love our enemies, to serve others, to find our life by losing it. This isn't always comfortable, but it's always good. When we learn to love Jesus as He truly is - in all His challenging, transforming, sometimes uncomfortable glory - we discover a relationship that's far richer than anything our imagination could create.

Bible Verse

"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?'" - Matthew 16:13

Reflection Question

How might your personal preferences or desires be shaping your understanding of who Jesus is rather than letting Scripture define Him?

Quote Peter loved his idea of Jesus more than he loved Jesus himself. Peter loved the Messiah he expected, not the Messiah Jesus actually was.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I want to love You as You truly are, not as I want You to be. Help me to embrace all of who You are - Your love and Your lordship, Your grace and Your truth. Transform my heart to desire what You desire. Amen.