God loves to give a second chance! In fact, God loves to give second, third, and fourth, chances. You fill in your own number. Peter’s story of denial sets the stage for the lesson of second chances. Many of us, like Peter, have denied Jesus along the way. For a season, we have abandoned our faith and fellowship with Jesus. Like Peter, we need a second chance.

Peter had good intentions, but he needed a second chance. He never intended to deny the Lord, but He did. Peter had great passion. Remember, he cut off someone’s ear in defense of Jesus, yet even in this kind of passion, he needed a second chance. His sin led to great guilt, so he needed a second chance. His three time denial of Jesus indicates his repeated sin and therefore need for a second chance. Peter’s story mirrors so many of our stories.

So, what was necessary for Peter to get a second chance? First, he needed the compassion of Jesus. Read the story in John 21. Jesus meets the disciples at the sea. Jesus tells them where to fish. Jesus cooks. Jesus invites. At every point in this story, Jesus is the one initiating the activity. That’s Jesus. He is always pursuing us. Wherever you are in relationship to Christ today, He is compassionately pursuing you. If you are an unbeliever, He is lovingly and patiently calling you today. If you have strayed from Him, He is calling for your return. If you are abiding with Him, He lovingly is calling you to launch even deeper—trust more completely.

Next, Peter needed to be confronted by Jesus. Restoration does not happen without confrontation from Jesus.

Third, Peter was contrite about his sin. Where there is compassion and confrontation in regards to our sin, there ought to be contrition. Peter was grieved. Again, not grieved that Jesus asks three times, but rather the third time brought him back to the third denial and this grieved Peter. It seems to me to be a good thing to grieve over our sin. Not forever, of course, because of forgiveness, but initially, we are to grieve over our sin. The Psalmist understood this in Psalm 51, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)

Finally, we need to understand that our second chance is a call for renewed commitment. When Jesus first called Peter and you and me, He said, “Come follow me.” Now He says, “Follow me.” God’s invitation for a second chance is not an invitation for another denial, another failure, but rather a new commitment.

It’s hard not to fast forward just a bit and remember what happened to Peter. Did this breakfast on the beach make a difference? The Book of Acts tells us that it did. It is Peter who preaches as recorded in Acts 2 and 3,000 people are saved at one time. It is Peter before the Sanhedrin who proclaimed, “There is salvation in no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). And it is Peter, when commanded to not preach the name of Jesus replied, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

Just as Peter did, you can begin again today!

(To watch the video of the message, “God of Second Chances,” go to www.fbclaf.org/video)

Have you ever been mad enough to fight? Joshua 22 gives us a story about some folks that got mad enough to fight. It is an important lesson for any group of people endeavoring to do life together—whether a family, a church, a group of churches, a community, co-workers, or any relational community.

Joshua 22 deals with the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh building an altar to the Lord after Israel has occupied the Promised Land. These 2 ½ tribes were going to remain on the other side of the Jordan. The important verse is verse 12. “When the Israelites heard this (the matter about the altar) the entire Israelite community assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them.” Wow! That’s mad! Why did they get mad enough to go to war? More importantly, how do you keep from getting yourself mad enough to fight?

First, seek to get the whole story before you get angry. The rest of Israel assumed that these 2 ½ tribes were in rebellion against God, but as the story unfolds, we learn that their heart was actually in the right place.

Second, seek to understand the intentions of the other party. Until you know otherwise, be ready to give the benefit of the doubt. The problem in this story begins when Israel assumed wrong intentions on the part of the 2 ½ tribes. Our problems start when we assume wrong motives on the part of others.

Third, seek to distinguish your anger from your selfishness. Verse 10 gives us the clue that this altar was an “impressive” altar. I cannot help but think that the real issue for the rest of Israel was that the altar was better than what they had built. Selfishness was driving their anger.

Last, be ready to forgive when an understanding is reached. In other words, as the cliché goes: “Bury the hatchet” and I add “forget where you bury the hatchet.” This is how Joshua 22 ends. May it be so in our lives as well.

Most articles for this blog have been devotional—sometimes a synopsis of the previous Sunday’s sermon. In an attempt to write more on this blog and in an attempt to stay connected to the members of First Baptist Church, Lafayette, on a weekly basis, I’m going to start writing about one entry a week on what is happening at First Baptist. For those readers who are not members of FBC, Lafayette, I hope that what I write in these occasional posts will still be a blessing to you. So, here goes the first such entry.

The Building Planning Committee of First Baptist Church is a long range planning committee that is elected by the church each year. This committee is comprised of three sub-committees: a building committee, a financial arrangements committee, and a property purchasing committee. Each committee has distinct responsibilities while at the same time comes together for long-range and strategic planning.

The entire committee met in January and approved the expenditure of $25,000 to contract the services of M, G, & A—a church consulting development, design, and building company. This is the same company who did master planning, build design, and construction of the building of our Preschool, Children, and Youth addition back in 2006-07.

Personnel from M, G, & A have met with select staff members and the building committee sub-committee. Work is progressing. At some point in the future, the Building Planning Committee would hope to bring a motion to the church to entertain prayerfully the proposal to enter into the next phase of our master plan. At this point, focus is being placed on the next phase being the demolition of the current Fellowship Hall/Activities building and rebuilding that space to include a first floor fellowship hall and first and second story adult education classrooms.

As pastor, I would certainly ask you to be praying for this committee as our work continues. It is my pastoral experience that nothing gets as emotionally charged for a church as a “building program.” The reasons are multiple. First, we all have different personalities and with this comes different opinions on what ought to be built. Did you ever know of a couple who got into an argument when building a new home? Instead of two people deciding on what the building might eventually look like, in our church, we will have over 1,000 people each with an idea.

Then, there is the issue of money. Some are opposed to being in debt at all—ever! Others will see a new building as money that should be used on other noble and greater ministries—missions, the poor, and a dozen other important causes. All of these issues are real and must be carefully and prayerfully considered.

My greatest desire for any proposed building that we might do in the future is to build the building in a spirit of unity and for God’s glory. I ask you to join me in praying to this end, and we will keep you posted.

Often, when people analyze the words of Jesus spoken from the cross, they will point to seven such sayings. All seven of the sayings do not appear together in any one of the four Gospels, but combining the Gospels’ accounts, we get seven sayings.

One of these sayings is a very tender and personal moment regarding His mother, Mary. We read this touching scene in John 19:25-27.

“Standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple He loved standing there, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”

Several clues in the setting of this story make this a powerful text. Obviously, this is a very tender and personal moment in the midst of the most important event in history. It was common in other crucifixions of this day for the dying man to dispose of his assets on the cross. Jesus, of course, had no assets, save the very important asset of His earthly mother. The absence of any mention of Joseph has led many to speculate that Joseph was perhaps deceased by this time. If so, how much more important for Jesus to make certain that His mother was protected and provided for after His death. In Jewish custom, the oldest son was to make provision for his mother in the event that the father was not available. In addition, we hear Jesus speak to His mother with the word, “woman” which is the most relational way possible. That sounds unusual to us, but not in the language of Jesus’ culture. Not only does He speak in a tender way, Jesus spoke in the most legal way possible. He was making legal provision for His mother. Whatever else we might say about this scene, certainly it is obvious that Jesus was honoring His mother.

I got to see an amazing picture of this very thing last week. Tina Gilbert, wife of our chairman of deacons, about eighteen months ago was diagnosed with a liver disease. After months of failed treatments without much temporary relief, and no cure, Tina received a partial new liver this past Wednesday. Tina’s new liver was donated from her oldest son, Chad, a pastor in New Orleans. Her other son, Blake, was also willing and tested, but Chad was the better match. Part of his liver was removed and will regenerate back. What a Mother’s Day this family had! What a testimony of the commandment to “honor father and mother.”

When I think about what it means “to honor your father and mother,” I can think of no better example than the example of Jesus. Even as He, in that moment, bore the sins of the whole world, He was honoring His mother.

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Proverbs 31:28

Perhaps she has never been on a team of her own, but now she is part-time coach to her own Little Leaguer.

She is not a M.D., nor could she identify the spleen from the liver, but she is Doctor at 4 a.m. when the head hurts and the stomach aches.

She is not paid to be a teacher, but every day at 4 p.m. the living room becomes a school room.

She is not a theologian, but that does not matter when her 10 year old asks “why, when, who, what, and where.”

Of course, in addition, she is cook, maid, chauffeur, and too many other people to count.

She is Mom!

Then he turns 15.

Now, she is counselor. When it seems the world has caved in, she listens.

She is no lawyer, but she is advocate when her child needs someone to speak up.

Yes, she is also the banker—Homecoming, Prom, class ring, jeans like everyone else.

She is still Mom!

Then he is 40 and this thing called parenting doesn’t seem as easy as Mom made it appear.

So, now let us hear the Proverb: Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.