From Brokeness to Wholeness | Pastor Caroline Dunn
FROM BROKENESS TO WHOLENESS
June 22, 2025
PETER – BEING CALLED
Matthew 4:18-20 (AMP)
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He noticed two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].
The way that Jesus picked his disciples shows that God’s kingdom values faith, availability, and obedience over pedigree or performance.
Peter wasn’t qualified. Peter wasn’t sought after. Peter was just an ordinary man who thought fishing was all his life was going to be about. Little did he know Jesus had other plans for him.
PETER - WALKING ON WATER
Matthew 14:28-31 (NLT)
Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong[a] wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
Peter was the only one who got out of the boat.
How do you hear Jesus voice in this text? Is he angry, is he disappointed, is he correcting? How you hear His voice reflects how you think Jesus views your mistakes, failures, and lack of faith.
In the Message translation it says: Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?”
PETER - DECLARES JESUS IS THE MESSIAH
Matthew 16:15-19 (NLT)
Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
Peter can hear God!
PETER IS A STUMBLING BLOCK TO JESUS
Matthew 16:23 (NLT)
Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
PETER SAYS HE WON’T DENY JESUS
Matthew 26: 33 – 34 (NLT)
Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
PETER CUTS OF AN EAR
John 18:10 Peter cuts of the ear of a slave who was present when Jesus is being arrested….
Anger issues? Zealous? Fearful? What is happening to Peter? Is he unraveling? Or is what inside of him being exposed – is his brokenness being revealed?
PETER DENIES JESUS
Matthew 26: 69- 75 (NLT)
Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.” But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said. A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.” Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.
Peter was living in brokenness.
Freedom and healing are not found in what we keep in the dark – but is found when things are brought to the light!
Jesus never avoided people’s brokenness - he targeted the root.
1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT) But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Brokenness doesn’t have to be your future.
GO AND TELL PETER
Mark 16:7 (NLT) Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”
It's a sign of grace, restoration, and personal invitation — Jesus still wants Peter among his followers – he is still planning on building his church on him.
• In our brokenness we need COMMUNITY!
• Don’t fight for your brokenness, fight for your victory.
• You cannot be whole if you are trying to protect what God is trying to replace.
How do we respond to what God has spoken to us this morning? We take some time with him. We don’t just go back to business we allow God to speak to us, to heal us, to restore us, to remind us of who we are, we throw off the lies that have become part of who we are, and we begin living in the freedom and victory God has for us!
Isaiah 61:3 (amp) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed and commissioned me To bring good news to the humble and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted, To proclaim release [from confinement and condemnation] to the [physical and spiritual] captives and freedom to prisoners,
June 22, 2025
PETER – BEING CALLED
Matthew 4:18-20 (AMP)
As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, He noticed two brothers, Simon who was called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. And He said to them, “Follow Me [as My disciples, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk], and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed Him [becoming His disciples, believing and trusting in Him and following His example].
The way that Jesus picked his disciples shows that God’s kingdom values faith, availability, and obedience over pedigree or performance.
Peter wasn’t qualified. Peter wasn’t sought after. Peter was just an ordinary man who thought fishing was all his life was going to be about. Little did he know Jesus had other plans for him.
PETER - WALKING ON WATER
Matthew 14:28-31 (NLT)
Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” “Yes, come,” Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong[a] wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
Peter was the only one who got out of the boat.
How do you hear Jesus voice in this text? Is he angry, is he disappointed, is he correcting? How you hear His voice reflects how you think Jesus views your mistakes, failures, and lack of faith.
In the Message translation it says: Jesus didn’t hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, “Faint-heart, what got into you?”
PETER - DECLARES JESUS IS THE MESSIAH
Matthew 16:15-19 (NLT)
Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”
Peter can hear God!
PETER IS A STUMBLING BLOCK TO JESUS
Matthew 16:23 (NLT)
Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”
PETER SAYS HE WON’T DENY JESUS
Matthew 26: 33 – 34 (NLT)
Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
PETER CUTS OF AN EAR
John 18:10 Peter cuts of the ear of a slave who was present when Jesus is being arrested….
Anger issues? Zealous? Fearful? What is happening to Peter? Is he unraveling? Or is what inside of him being exposed – is his brokenness being revealed?
PETER DENIES JESUS
Matthew 26: 69- 75 (NLT)
Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.” But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said. A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.” Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.
Peter was living in brokenness.
Freedom and healing are not found in what we keep in the dark – but is found when things are brought to the light!
Jesus never avoided people’s brokenness - he targeted the root.
1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT) But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Brokenness doesn’t have to be your future.
GO AND TELL PETER
Mark 16:7 (NLT) Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”
It's a sign of grace, restoration, and personal invitation — Jesus still wants Peter among his followers – he is still planning on building his church on him.
• In our brokenness we need COMMUNITY!
• Don’t fight for your brokenness, fight for your victory.
• You cannot be whole if you are trying to protect what God is trying to replace.
How do we respond to what God has spoken to us this morning? We take some time with him. We don’t just go back to business we allow God to speak to us, to heal us, to restore us, to remind us of who we are, we throw off the lies that have become part of who we are, and we begin living in the freedom and victory God has for us!
Isaiah 61:3 (amp) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed and commissioned me To bring good news to the humble and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted, To proclaim release [from confinement and condemnation] to the [physical and spiritual] captives and freedom to prisoners,