Part II - Peter The Broken
“Get thee behind me Satan” to going back fishing.”
Sunday, October 25th, 2025
Pastor Gio Harris
SCRIPTURE READING: 1Peter 5:8-11
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Recap Thom sermon:
Peter the Bold
Jesus wants Our Boat (Thom): Peter the Broken
Oftentimes, the boat in our personal lives represents a kind of mask—a cover for our brokenness. It becomes our safe place, our comfort zone, our escape from reality. It’s the house of self-deception, the vessel that holds our wounds and hides our struggles. And that’s exactly why Jesus wants our boat—in the words of Thom.”
When we consider our relationship with brokenness in this earthly body, we often respond according to our instinctive nature — fight or flight. We either run from or avoid our problems, or we attempt to confront them head-on, because self-preservation is deeply rooted within us. In Peter, we see both responses. Before Jesus completed His work in Peter’s life, his identity was built on performance, driven by a craving for control, fear of failure, and a longing for approval.
But before we explore the moments in Peter’s journey where Jesus confronts the more visible signs of his brokenness, there’s an essential starting point in Luke 5. This encounter helps us reframe what we often see as a burden of our humanity—not as a thorn, but as a doorway to grace.
Summarize Luke 5:1-11
Fatigue Highlights Our Inadequacies and Our Brokenness
We often over look that sin/brokenness sin didn't just introduce moral corruption - it fractured the entire human system
Before sin, work was effortless and fruitful because he worked with God
Then came Gen 3:17-19 after sin and work became toil, where energy is depleted faster than its restored
Peter state heading out to fish:
When we’re strong, productive, and focused, it’s easy to believe the illusion that we’re in control.
But fatigue humbles us. It forces us to face our limits.
•The body grows weak.
•The mind becomes foggy.
•The emotions grow fragile.
Consider the nature of Fishing:
•Dopamine spikes during expectation, not just when the reward arrives.
•The brain releases it to motivate pursuit — the feeling of “something good is coming.”
•Uncertainty or delay causes dopamine to rise and fall, creating both excitement and anxiety.
•When the anticipated reward doesn’t happen, dopamine crashes below baseline, leading to disappointment, depletion, and fatigue.
Peter allows Jesus to step in and Jesus defies what Peter knows and feels in that moment
When Peter falls to his knees in Luke 5:8 and says,
“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord,”
he’s not just ashamed — he’s encountering the contrast between divine wholeness and human inadequacy and brokenness.
Jesus speaks directly to what's happening to Peter…. “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.
Brokenness exposed becomes brokenness redeemed.
Muche said “conflict wasn’t the obstacle of growth it was the occasion for it” in a similar way,
With Jesus, brokenness is not the obstacle for wholeness it is the occasion for it
So yes, many of us are tired — many frustrated — expecting that by now there would be more in our nets. But perhaps Jesus is stepping onto our boats in a new and unique way — to renew our strength and refine the way we fish. Because maybe, just maybe, we’ve been operating on our own strength. Or said this way, maybe we're fighting for Christ and not in Christ.
Fatigue says: You are not limitless. You are dependent.
And dependence is the language of humility — the same humility that opens the heart toward God.
So why didn’t it end here for Peter? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” — Mark 12:30
God desires all of us — yet we don’t even fully know all of who we are to give. Our brokenness, this side of heaven, isn’t something Jesus simply takes away; it’s something we continually surrender to Him until the day He makes all things new.
Pride & Self Reliance
Matthew 16:22-23 “Get thee behind me Satan’’
21 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.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 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.”
Now consider Matthew 16: 18-19
(Matthew 16: 18-19 (consider what happens to Peters ego after this)
18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[b] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[c] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[d] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e]loosed in heaven.”)
Just moments earlier, Peter receives a revelation from the Father — he identifies Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then blesses Peter and declares that on this “rock” (his confession of faith, and prophetically his future leadership), the Church will be built.
Peter is now detached from the divine revelation he just received by God and
This is the tragic irony & danger of fighting for Christ vs In Christ
“Natural strength will always become spiritual weakness when it’s disconnected from divine dependence on Christ. Why? Because of our broken disposition.
In our own strength, we fight to preserve the here and now — but the Spirit of God calls us to die to the here and now, so that we may truly live.”
Peters Ego and Pride without even realizing it began to steer the boat, which is why Jesus swiftly rejected it. Jesus was fully aware of the magnitude of fear, insecurity, and self-reliance that existed in Peter’s heart.
Proverbs 16:18 — “Pride goes before destruction(
not merely a “fall” but something broken, shattered), and a haughty spirit(a spirit of loftiness / breathing up / swelling spirit) before a fall(to stumble, to totter, to fall.” Thus the “fall” is often more like a stumble or collapse due to losing footing) (ESV)
Even after Peter was rebuked so harshly yet accurately, he continued to follow Jesus, because he made the decision to be a Christian above anything else. Which means every other desire, hunger and or pursuit takes the back seat to the call to carry our cross and follow Jesus.
Compare and contrast: Spiritually Immature vs Spiritually Mature Peter
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
“Be alert and of sober mind”-Greek translates, “Be sober, be watchful”
“Of” sober mind = keep your thinking balanced, disciplined, and self-controlled.
“Of” shifts the focus from behavior to identity — from what you do to what kind of mind you have.
Alert:
•Root: grēgoreō — “to stay awake,” “to be watchful,” “to stay vigilant.”
•It implies spiritual wakefulness, not just physical alertness.
Sober minded:
•Root: nēphō — “to be sober,” “to be clear-headed,” “to have self-control.”
•in Scripture it means mental and spiritual steadiness.
Main Points
1. Bold is good — cocky is bad. (Pride goeth before a fall). “Be bold in Christ to suffer what is right according to Christ” Thom
Proverbs 16:18 — “Pride (exaltation, pride, arrogance)goes before destruction(
not merely a “fall” but something broken, shattered), and a haughty spirit(a spirit of loftiness / breathing up / swelling spirit) before a fall(to stumble, to totter, to fall.” Thus the “fall” is often more like a stumble or collapse due to losing footing) (ESV)
Peters Descend Begins
John 18:10–11 (NIV)
10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
And Luke gives us a fuller account of what happens next:
Luke 22:50–51 (NIV)
50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
Here Peter senses that he is coming closer to the end of himself so his brokenness shows up with Vigor. He believes he is defending Jesus but deep down inside he is attempting to preserve himself at the expense of God's mission to save His children.
Jesus knew this and made a proclamation that spoke directly to Peter's brokenness. Jesus showed compassion and healed an enemy that Peter was just inches away from killing.
Describe what Peter is likely feeling. Flashes of the old and new in proximity to Jesus.
Romans 3:23 (NIV):
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
“We often think that the decision to follow Jesus comes with the absence of brokenness. However that couldn’t be farther from the truth this side of Heaven.
“The decision to follow Christ daily is far less about the absence of brokenness (the absence of falling) as much as it’s about the ongoing presence of a Healer”
Who can separate Us from God?
The Extent of Peters Brokenness: Public DENIAL
Matthew 26:69–75 (NIV)
69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.
70 But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”
73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”
74 Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed.
75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Jesus meets with Peter in a familiar way
John 21: 4-7
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
3. God never abandons us — not even when we are in our sin
4. Guilt is healthy as long as it’s not permanent. (We’ve got to get our eyes back on Christ. “What is your purpose for allowing me to stray?” Because God wants our heart
5. God uses our mistakes to make us strong, firm and steadfast. With our Heart He makes us strong
“Peter's journey reminds us that our brokenness was never something Jesus came to avoid — it’s what He came to redeem. He doesn’t wait for the pieces to be put back together; He steps into the fragments, sits in the boat, and shows us that even our emptiness can become an altar for His glory. Peter’s story reminds us that the same Jesus who meets us in our weakness is the one who restores us into His strength.”
Recap Thom sermon:
Peter the Bold
- Thom kicked off Peter the Bold — looking at key moments where Peter’s bold nature collided with Jesus’ correction and cultivation
- Peter’s boldness whether it was reckless or in step with the Spirit of God, Jesus was intentionally shaping it — sometimes affirming it, sometimes rebuking it, always refining his heart.
- Summary Insight:
Peter’s life reminds us that though God has called us to boldness, boldness alone isn’t the goal — boldness aligned with Christ is.
True boldness. is not just standing for Jesus, but standing with Him — as brother Thom put it so clearly, “a willingness to suffer what’s right according to Christ.” And as the scriptures remind us “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”
Jesus wants Our Boat (Thom): Peter the Broken
Oftentimes, the boat in our personal lives represents a kind of mask—a cover for our brokenness. It becomes our safe place, our comfort zone, our escape from reality. It’s the house of self-deception, the vessel that holds our wounds and hides our struggles. And that’s exactly why Jesus wants our boat—in the words of Thom.”
When we consider our relationship with brokenness in this earthly body, we often respond according to our instinctive nature — fight or flight. We either run from or avoid our problems, or we attempt to confront them head-on, because self-preservation is deeply rooted within us. In Peter, we see both responses. Before Jesus completed His work in Peter’s life, his identity was built on performance, driven by a craving for control, fear of failure, and a longing for approval.
But before we explore the moments in Peter’s journey where Jesus confronts the more visible signs of his brokenness, there’s an essential starting point in Luke 5. This encounter helps us reframe what we often see as a burden of our humanity—not as a thorn, but as a doorway to grace.
Summarize Luke 5:1-11
- Theirs 2 boats, yet Jesus chooses to get into Peters
- Knowing Peter is mentally, physically and emotionally drained…“Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
- Against what Peter's flesh was telling him…”because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
- What appeared impossible to Peter, Jesus made possible to Peter
- Peter sees Jesus more clearly but also sees himself more clearly; his brokenness…”he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
- Knowing this Jesus speaks directly to what's happening to Peter…. “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”
- Peter left everything (on that particular day) to follow Jesus
Fatigue Highlights Our Inadequacies and Our Brokenness
We often over look that sin/brokenness sin didn't just introduce moral corruption - it fractured the entire human system
- Our Spirits became separated from God
- Our minds became conflicted - The things I want to do, I do not do.” (Rom 7:15)
- Our bodies began to decay - fatigue, pain, stress, and death entered creation
Before sin, work was effortless and fruitful because he worked with God
Then came Gen 3:17-19 after sin and work became toil, where energy is depleted faster than its restored
Peter state heading out to fish:
When we’re strong, productive, and focused, it’s easy to believe the illusion that we’re in control.
But fatigue humbles us. It forces us to face our limits.
•The body grows weak.
•The mind becomes foggy.
•The emotions grow fragile.
Consider the nature of Fishing:
•Dopamine spikes during expectation, not just when the reward arrives.
•The brain releases it to motivate pursuit — the feeling of “something good is coming.”
•Uncertainty or delay causes dopamine to rise and fall, creating both excitement and anxiety.
•When the anticipated reward doesn’t happen, dopamine crashes below baseline, leading to disappointment, depletion, and fatigue.
Peter allows Jesus to step in and Jesus defies what Peter knows and feels in that moment
When Peter falls to his knees in Luke 5:8 and says,
“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord,”
he’s not just ashamed — he’s encountering the contrast between divine wholeness and human inadequacy and brokenness.
Jesus speaks directly to what's happening to Peter…. “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.
Brokenness exposed becomes brokenness redeemed.
Muche said “conflict wasn’t the obstacle of growth it was the occasion for it” in a similar way,
With Jesus, brokenness is not the obstacle for wholeness it is the occasion for it
So yes, many of us are tired — many frustrated — expecting that by now there would be more in our nets. But perhaps Jesus is stepping onto our boats in a new and unique way — to renew our strength and refine the way we fish. Because maybe, just maybe, we’ve been operating on our own strength. Or said this way, maybe we're fighting for Christ and not in Christ.
Fatigue says: You are not limitless. You are dependent.
And dependence is the language of humility — the same humility that opens the heart toward God.
So why didn’t it end here for Peter? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” — Mark 12:30
God desires all of us — yet we don’t even fully know all of who we are to give. Our brokenness, this side of heaven, isn’t something Jesus simply takes away; it’s something we continually surrender to Him until the day He makes all things new.
Pride & Self Reliance
Matthew 16:22-23 “Get thee behind me Satan’’
21 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.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 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.”
Now consider Matthew 16: 18-19
(Matthew 16: 18-19 (consider what happens to Peters ego after this)
18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[b] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[c] will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[d] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[e]loosed in heaven.”)
Just moments earlier, Peter receives a revelation from the Father — he identifies Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus then blesses Peter and declares that on this “rock” (his confession of faith, and prophetically his future leadership), the Church will be built.
- This is one of Peter’s greatest spiritual highs: he is affirmed, entrusted with authority, and publicly recognized by Christ Himself. But spiritual highs often test our humility.
- Peter’s ego, though not malicious, likely swelled with a sense of special status and spiritual insight.
Peter is now detached from the divine revelation he just received by God and
This is the tragic irony & danger of fighting for Christ vs In Christ
- The same mouth that confessed divine truth now speaks satanic opposition.
- The same boldness that was once Spirit-inspired is now ego-driven.
“Natural strength will always become spiritual weakness when it’s disconnected from divine dependence on Christ. Why? Because of our broken disposition.
In our own strength, we fight to preserve the here and now — but the Spirit of God calls us to die to the here and now, so that we may truly live.”
Peters Ego and Pride without even realizing it began to steer the boat, which is why Jesus swiftly rejected it. Jesus was fully aware of the magnitude of fear, insecurity, and self-reliance that existed in Peter’s heart.
Proverbs 16:18 — “Pride goes before destruction(
not merely a “fall” but something broken, shattered), and a haughty spirit(a spirit of loftiness / breathing up / swelling spirit) before a fall(to stumble, to totter, to fall.” Thus the “fall” is often more like a stumble or collapse due to losing footing) (ESV)
Even after Peter was rebuked so harshly yet accurately, he continued to follow Jesus, because he made the decision to be a Christian above anything else. Which means every other desire, hunger and or pursuit takes the back seat to the call to carry our cross and follow Jesus.
Compare and contrast: Spiritually Immature vs Spiritually Mature Peter
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
“Be alert and of sober mind”-Greek translates, “Be sober, be watchful”
“Of” sober mind = keep your thinking balanced, disciplined, and self-controlled.
“Of” shifts the focus from behavior to identity — from what you do to what kind of mind you have.
Alert:
•Root: grēgoreō — “to stay awake,” “to be watchful,” “to stay vigilant.”
•It implies spiritual wakefulness, not just physical alertness.
Sober minded:
•Root: nēphō — “to be sober,” “to be clear-headed,” “to have self-control.”
•in Scripture it means mental and spiritual steadiness.
Main Points
1. Bold is good — cocky is bad. (Pride goeth before a fall). “Be bold in Christ to suffer what is right according to Christ” Thom
Proverbs 16:18 — “Pride (exaltation, pride, arrogance)goes before destruction(
not merely a “fall” but something broken, shattered), and a haughty spirit(a spirit of loftiness / breathing up / swelling spirit) before a fall(to stumble, to totter, to fall.” Thus the “fall” is often more like a stumble or collapse due to losing footing) (ESV)
Peters Descend Begins
John 18:10–11 (NIV)
10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”
And Luke gives us a fuller account of what happens next:
Luke 22:50–51 (NIV)
50 And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
51 But Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
Here Peter senses that he is coming closer to the end of himself so his brokenness shows up with Vigor. He believes he is defending Jesus but deep down inside he is attempting to preserve himself at the expense of God's mission to save His children.
Jesus knew this and made a proclamation that spoke directly to Peter's brokenness. Jesus showed compassion and healed an enemy that Peter was just inches away from killing.
Describe what Peter is likely feeling. Flashes of the old and new in proximity to Jesus.
- Again Peter fighting on the wrong side of the fence
- His actions so clearly remind him, apart from Christ “i too am an enemy of God”
- See the masterful work of the Potter
Romans 3:23 (NIV):
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
“We often think that the decision to follow Jesus comes with the absence of brokenness. However that couldn’t be farther from the truth this side of Heaven.
“The decision to follow Christ daily is far less about the absence of brokenness (the absence of falling) as much as it’s about the ongoing presence of a Healer”
Who can separate Us from God?
The Extent of Peters Brokenness: Public DENIAL
Matthew 26:69–75 (NIV)
69 Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.
70 But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.
71 Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72 He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”
73 After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”
74 Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately a rooster crowed.
75 Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Jesus meets with Peter in a familiar way
John 21: 4-7
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water.
- This was a full circle moment for Peter just with new eyes to see more clearly himself and Christ, and a renewed heart.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
3. God never abandons us — not even when we are in our sin
4. Guilt is healthy as long as it’s not permanent. (We’ve got to get our eyes back on Christ. “What is your purpose for allowing me to stray?” Because God wants our heart
5. God uses our mistakes to make us strong, firm and steadfast. With our Heart He makes us strong
“Peter's journey reminds us that our brokenness was never something Jesus came to avoid — it’s what He came to redeem. He doesn’t wait for the pieces to be put back together; He steps into the fragments, sits in the boat, and shows us that even our emptiness can become an altar for His glory. Peter’s story reminds us that the same Jesus who meets us in our weakness is the one who restores us into His strength.”