1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:13,360 Welcome to Walk in the Truth podcast. 2 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:18,720 This season of messages takes us through some of the great comeback stories in the Bible. 3 00:00:18,720 --> 00:00:23,820 Pastor John Metter of Cross City Church will show us how God can take any situation in 4 00:00:23,820 --> 00:00:27,800 any life and bring hope and victory out of hardship. 5 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:34,080 These messages will inspire you to trust God in your own challenging seasons. 6 00:00:34,080 --> 00:00:35,680 Thank you so much for joining us this morning. 7 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:39,560 It's a great day to worship the Lord and we've had a great time worshiping him today. 8 00:00:39,560 --> 00:00:43,800 If you have your Bibles, please take them and turn to the Gospel of John today, John 9 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,000 chapter 21. 10 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:47,000 John chapter 21. 11 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:56,240 Today we're going to focus on the dilemma, the problem of when God's ways seem anything 12 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:57,240 but perfect. 13 00:00:57,240 --> 00:01:01,960 I'm going to let that title sink in with you for just a few moments. 14 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:07,000 I just asked the question, how many times in life have you stopped and looked around 15 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:11,320 and thought to yourself, you know, I know God is the perfect God and I know he loves 16 00:01:11,320 --> 00:01:16,960 me and I know he's got great plans for my life, but right now it seems like God's ways 17 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:21,240 are anything but perfect in how things are working out. 18 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:22,560 Anybody ever have that happen to you? 19 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:24,480 Raise your hand if you've experienced that. 20 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:29,040 That'd be most of us in the room at some point have stopped and asked that question, God, 21 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:33,320 why if you're a perfect God and if you can do all the things that we know you can do, 22 00:01:33,320 --> 00:01:38,080 why are things not working out very well? 23 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:42,440 And there are times when God's ways seem anything but perfect. 24 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:46,720 Just like Peter denying Christ, which is who we're going to be talking about today, the 25 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:52,920 man Peter, the disciple that we know so well, we sometimes find ourselves in that same place. 26 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:57,680 We may not be denying Christ outwardly, but we look around us and see that things aren't 27 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:03,120 going well and sometimes we get so disappointed and so disillusioned and discouraged, we take 28 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,240 a step back from following God. 29 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:06,800 We may stop praying. 30 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:08,440 We may stop opening our Bibles. 31 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:14,240 We may stop looking to God for help because help doesn't seem to be coming and change 32 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:16,840 doesn't seem to be happening. 33 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:18,040 And we know he's perfect. 34 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:22,400 We know God is God and we know we're not, but at the same time, that'd be some of the 35 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:26,080 promises we thought we were getting from God aren't working out. 36 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:30,760 Some of the hopes that we've placed in him is not going well. 37 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:35,360 We could actually become cynical with God when maybe the marriage that we have dedicated 38 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:41,400 to God or the family that we dedicated to God is not bearing fruit, not doing well. 39 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:46,520 Maybe the help that we have and we've asked God to help us where it's being compromised 40 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,560 in some way and we're wondering, God, are you there? 41 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:54,280 Because if God can do everything, if God loves us, if all those things are true, then it 42 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:59,320 seems simple to us that a loving God who loves us, who's able to do whatever he wants to 43 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:03,480 do, could want to help us a little bit. 44 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:08,560 And yet when we don't see it, we become discouraged and disillusioned just like Peter was. 45 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:14,840 We may not deny Christ outwardly or verbally, but inside we have disengaged with Christ. 46 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:19,760 And you can identify with this guy today, this man named Peter, the apostle Peter. 47 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:24,120 When you think of the apostle Peter, you think of the preeminent among the disciples and 48 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:25,120 the apostles. 49 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:26,920 He's always the first one to talk. 50 00:03:26,920 --> 00:03:33,160 He's always included in all the small circle conversations that Jesus has with the disciples. 51 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:35,920 I mean, Peter is bold and courageous. 52 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:39,120 We all want to be like Peter on his good days, right? 53 00:03:39,120 --> 00:03:42,900 There are some bad days that Peter has. 54 00:03:42,900 --> 00:03:45,640 We can identify with him even in that. 55 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:52,720 John 21 is one of those passages where Peter is at the lowest he can be in life. 56 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:56,200 I want you to stand with me as we read God's word today, John chapter 21, beginning of 57 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:57,600 verse one. 58 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:05,040 We'll read just three or four verses of John 21, and then we will pause and look at Luke 59 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:09,760 22 in just a few moments where Peter denied Christ and come back to chapter 21 a little 60 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:10,760 later on. 61 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:16,040 After these things, the Bible says in verse one, after these things, Jesus revealed himself 62 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:18,880 again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias. 63 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:22,200 And he revealed himself in this way. 64 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:27,680 Simon Peter, Thomas, he was called Didymus, Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee, the sons of 65 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:31,320 Zebedee and two others of his disciples were together. 66 00:04:31,320 --> 00:04:34,960 Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing. 67 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:37,760 Now you need to know this is not an ordinary fishing trip. 68 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:41,400 This is not a weekend at the lake. 69 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:45,680 Peter is saying, I've done all I can do. 70 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:47,200 I'm over this. 71 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:49,280 I'm going back to fishing. 72 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:52,760 Now Peter's influence was noticeable. 73 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:57,820 The Bible says after Peter said, I'm going fishing, they said to him, we are also coming 74 00:04:57,820 --> 00:04:58,820 with you. 75 00:04:58,820 --> 00:05:01,420 And they went out and got into the boat. 76 00:05:01,420 --> 00:05:05,160 And that night, predictably, they caught nothing. 77 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:07,320 Would you bow with me in prayer? 78 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:12,080 Father, thank you so much for real life examples of real people in the Bible. 79 00:05:12,080 --> 00:05:17,760 And thank you for the details of our lives so that we can identify and connect with them 80 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:18,760 in so many ways. 81 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:24,000 Lord, I pray that you will help us today as we look at the life of Peter and how you specifically 82 00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:26,440 brought him back from disillusionment. 83 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:30,040 I ask all this in Jesus' name, in all God's people said. 84 00:05:30,040 --> 00:05:31,040 Amen. 85 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,240 Please be seated if you would. 86 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:38,280 Now go with me on this roller coaster ride with Peter for just a few moments and just 87 00:05:38,280 --> 00:05:40,320 think about all the highs and lows. 88 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:42,800 Peter really was on a roller coaster ride. 89 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:45,240 He was the boldest follower of Jesus at the same time. 90 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:49,640 He would open his mouth at uncharacteristic and inappropriate times. 91 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:53,560 I mean it was Peter that rebuked Jesus. 92 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:57,040 And Jesus had to turn around and say, get thee behind me, Satan. 93 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:02,040 I mean it's one thing to be in part of the inner circle of Jesus' disciples. 94 00:06:02,040 --> 00:06:07,880 Another thing altogether for Jesus to say about you, get you behind me, Satan. 95 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:08,880 So that's a low, right? 96 00:06:08,880 --> 00:06:12,160 There's a high and there's lows. 97 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:16,960 Peter was really involved in almost everything Jesus did, all the miracles, all the great 98 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:19,640 statements that Jesus made. 99 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:23,640 But at the most important moment of Jesus' life, at the moment of his sacrifice when 100 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:30,320 exactly hanging on the cross, Peter denies Christ. 101 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:33,040 He said, I don't know the man. 102 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:38,160 Now I want you to read one of four accounts of Peter's denial, this one in Luke chapter 103 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:40,000 22. 104 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:46,320 Luke gives us, I think, the most piercing look at what happens that day as Jesus is 105 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:50,400 being crucified and Peter is watching. 106 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:53,640 Luke 22 verse 54. 107 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:58,840 Now they arrested him and led him away and brought him to the house of the high priest. 108 00:06:58,840 --> 00:07:01,680 But Peter was following at a distance. 109 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:05,160 After they kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter 110 00:07:05,160 --> 00:07:10,560 was sitting among them and a slave woman seeing him as he sat in the firelight and staring 111 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:14,880 at him said, this man was with him as well. 112 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:19,560 But he denied it, saying, I do not know him, woman. 113 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:25,120 And a little later another person saw him and said, but you are one of them. 114 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:28,480 But Peter said, man, I am not. 115 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:33,040 And after about an hour had passed, some other man began to insist, saying, certainly this 116 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:36,640 man was also with him for he too is a Galilean. 117 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,760 But Peter said, man, I do not know what you're talking about. 118 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:46,120 And some of the other accounts of Peter's denial of Christ, there is an emphatic reference 119 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:47,800 to the language he's using. 120 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:52,960 Most of us would say Peter is cussing and he's doing everything he can to distance himself 121 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:53,960 from Jesus. 122 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:58,640 And so he says in verse 60, I do not know what you're talking about. 123 00:07:58,640 --> 00:08:01,720 And immediately while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 124 00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:05,840 Now look at verse 61. 125 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:12,080 And then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. 126 00:08:12,080 --> 00:08:13,240 I want to pause for just a moment. 127 00:08:13,240 --> 00:08:15,360 I want you to feel this. 128 00:08:15,360 --> 00:08:21,120 It's one thing to deny Christ and thinking that you're far from him, that he's not saying 129 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:23,080 what you're doing. 130 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:27,000 It's another thing for Jesus to actually have seen this happen. 131 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:30,680 Luke's the only one that records this part of it. 132 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:32,760 The Lord turned and looked at Peter. 133 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:37,000 And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had told him before he rooster crows 134 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:38,800 today, you will deny me three times. 135 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:44,800 And he went out and he wept bitterly. 136 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:49,460 You know, it's interesting that the Bible includes in all four gospels different details 137 00:08:49,460 --> 00:08:50,840 about Peter's denial. 138 00:08:50,840 --> 00:08:55,720 It's almost as though each of the gospel writers wants us to know there are times in our lives 139 00:08:55,720 --> 00:09:02,080 where we may have done that like Peter and still be restored like Peter. 140 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:04,440 Now I love the hope that's in this passage. 141 00:09:04,440 --> 00:09:08,600 I love the hope as much as I like the value that's in this passage because all of us know 142 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:13,240 we can be in valleys and it's helpful to know that we can be in hope too. 143 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:15,040 But think about Peter for just a few moments. 144 00:09:15,040 --> 00:09:20,160 Peter is disappointed with the whole picture of what Jesus has been doing. 145 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:22,520 He's at the lowest point in his life. 146 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:27,640 Now at the point of his denial, Jesus is heading to the cross and the disciples have scattered 147 00:09:27,640 --> 00:09:31,880 and all of a sudden the hopes and dreams and the thoughts of what Peter thought was going 148 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:36,320 to work out for Jesus is not working out. 149 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:41,360 And now he's doing the unthinkable while Jesus is being crucified, he's publicly denying 150 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:42,360 Christ. 151 00:09:42,360 --> 00:09:47,200 And I just want to kind of pause for a moment and say life is sometimes not working out 152 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:51,040 like we thought it would work out. 153 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:56,800 My wife and I want you to know with moments of transparency that we have felt those times 154 00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:57,800 too. 155 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:03,240 A number of years ago my mom and dad were living in Phoenix, Arizona. 156 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:08,800 Dad was a pastor for many years and they'd always lived apart and distant from where 157 00:10:08,800 --> 00:10:09,800 we were. 158 00:10:09,800 --> 00:10:14,520 We were living in a DFW area, I was pastoring in Irving, Texas and my mom had battled cancer 159 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:19,080 several times and to come back each time and she was relatively healthy and they made the 160 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:24,800 decision to retire from the ministry in Phoenix and move near us. 161 00:10:24,800 --> 00:10:30,280 And so as the preparations were made for her to move near us, we knew that it was going 162 00:10:30,280 --> 00:10:33,560 to be a great time, something my mom had prayed for for a long time. 163 00:10:33,560 --> 00:10:38,040 This godly woman who knew the Lord, served the Lord in so many ways, just wanted to be 164 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:41,560 back with her children and her grandchildren and to know them well. 165 00:10:41,560 --> 00:10:45,920 And we had high hopes because my mom was an incredible woman and we wanted all of our 166 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:49,800 children to know her really well, not just at a distance. 167 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:52,680 But even when she got off the plane when they moved here, we could see something was not 168 00:10:52,680 --> 00:10:54,680 right with mom. 169 00:10:54,680 --> 00:10:59,920 Within a week she was in the hospital, within two weeks she was dead because the cancer 170 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:02,400 had come back with a vengeance. 171 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:08,000 I can remember watching my mom pass away and I can remember some of the words she said, 172 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:13,600 disappointment that had to end when all she wanted was just to be around us. 173 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:16,120 And I can remember we were disappointed and confused. 174 00:11:16,120 --> 00:11:19,600 God, why would you allow all this to happen, these faithful servants of yours who love 175 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:25,560 you, who just want to be with their family, why would you let her die two weeks after 176 00:11:25,560 --> 00:11:26,560 she returned? 177 00:11:26,560 --> 00:11:32,600 I remember one night as Kim and I were grappling with this, I got home from work and Kim said, 178 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:35,120 I threw that little block away. 179 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:41,200 She had a little block, a wooden block that she would keep up on the sink in front of 180 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:43,240 her in the kitchen. 181 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:49,600 And on that block of wood was inscribed the verse Psalm 1830 which says, ask for God, 182 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:52,060 his way is perfect. 183 00:11:52,060 --> 00:11:53,060 We love that verse. 184 00:11:53,060 --> 00:11:54,960 We've always had that verse in front of us. 185 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,760 And she looked at me and she said, I threw the block away. 186 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:02,040 And I thought, oh my. 187 00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:08,480 Because at that moment we were struggling with the very idea that God was perfect and 188 00:12:08,480 --> 00:12:12,600 was allowing things that were very imperfect in our eyes to unfold. 189 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:14,400 It was hard. 190 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:20,200 And that's how I know how Peter felt when he denied Christ. 191 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:25,000 And when things were not working out the way he had envisioned them working out, it was 192 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:26,000 a hard time in our lives. 193 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:28,800 It was a hard time in his life. 194 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:33,760 And now when we read the verses about Peter, here we have Peter after the resurrection 195 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:36,800 appearances of Christ, he's already appeared to him twice. 196 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:40,640 After Jesus has risen from the dead, all these things have happened that should be positive 197 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:45,280 but Peter is not looking at them as being positive. 198 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:48,400 He's still struggling even though he knows Jesus died for him. 199 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:50,600 Even though he knows Jesus rose from the dead. 200 00:12:50,600 --> 00:12:55,860 Even though Jesus is still intending to meet with them at Pentecost and he has all that 201 00:12:55,860 --> 00:13:00,840 ahead of him but he's still, he's uncomfortable with how it's all folding. 202 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:04,680 And he says literally, I'm going back to fishing. 203 00:13:04,680 --> 00:13:05,840 I'm going back to fishing. 204 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:08,100 What I'm comfortable with is not this. 205 00:13:08,100 --> 00:13:09,560 What I'm comfortable with is fishing. 206 00:13:09,560 --> 00:13:10,640 I'm going back to fishing. 207 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:12,620 And these disciples went with him. 208 00:13:12,620 --> 00:13:13,620 So there they are. 209 00:13:13,620 --> 00:13:18,840 They're out there fishing off the Sea of Tiberias off the coast, off the Sea of Galilee in Tiberias 210 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:22,640 region and they've caught nothing. 211 00:13:22,640 --> 00:13:24,840 Been fishing all night and they've caught nothing. 212 00:13:24,840 --> 00:13:26,200 Not many fishermen in the room by the way. 213 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:27,960 You have very many fishermen in the room. 214 00:13:27,960 --> 00:13:29,200 Most of us don't fish with a net. 215 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:34,160 We fish with a fishing pole but we know what it's like and how frustrating it is to not 216 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:38,520 catch anything but they've not caught anything. 217 00:13:38,520 --> 00:13:42,880 Now the story is set up so that these disciples are going to see Jesus in the light like they've 218 00:13:42,880 --> 00:13:45,320 never seen him before. 219 00:13:45,320 --> 00:13:49,720 In one sense of the word, they've never seen him do this but in another sense of the word, 220 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:53,240 he's going to remind them of what he's done before. 221 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:57,160 So I want you to take your Bibles and open them back up to John 21 and I want to read 222 00:13:57,160 --> 00:13:59,480 the full story beginning in verse 4. 223 00:13:59,480 --> 00:14:04,840 But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach yet the disciples did not know 224 00:14:04,840 --> 00:14:05,920 that it was Jesus. 225 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:11,680 So Jesus said to them, children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you? 226 00:14:11,680 --> 00:14:13,240 And they answered to him, no. 227 00:14:13,240 --> 00:14:17,560 And he said to them, cast the net on the right hand side of the boat and you will find the 228 00:14:17,560 --> 00:14:18,880 fish. 229 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:23,400 So they cast it and they were not able to haul it in because of the great quantity of 230 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:24,400 fish. 231 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:28,680 Therefore, the disciple whom Jesus loved, this would be John who always refers to himself 232 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:32,320 as that, said to Peter, it is the Lord. 233 00:14:32,320 --> 00:14:35,880 So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment for he was 234 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:39,720 stripped for work and he threw himself into the sea. 235 00:14:39,720 --> 00:14:43,680 But the other disciples came in the little boat for they were not far from the land but 236 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:48,360 about 200 kibits away, dragging the net full of fish. 237 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:53,440 So when they got out on the land, they saw the charcoal fire already made and fish placed 238 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:54,920 on it and bread. 239 00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:57,880 And Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish which you have now caught. 240 00:14:57,880 --> 00:15:04,640 So Simon Peter went up and hauled the net to land full of large fish, 153. 241 00:15:04,640 --> 00:15:06,960 And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 242 00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:09,220 Now people ask the question about 153. 243 00:15:09,220 --> 00:15:14,800 If you were a fisherman, you would understand you count your fish, you count them, 153. 244 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:16,680 Not a fish story. 245 00:15:16,680 --> 00:15:18,640 Jesus said to them, come and have breakfast. 246 00:15:18,640 --> 00:15:22,400 None of the disciples ventured to inquire of him, who are you, knowing that it was the 247 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:23,520 Lord. 248 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:26,920 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them and the fish likewise. 249 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:31,120 This was now the third time that Jesus revealed himself to the disciples after he was raised 250 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:32,120 from the dead. 251 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:37,080 Now when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of Jonah, do 252 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:38,600 you love me more than these? 253 00:15:38,600 --> 00:15:41,520 And he said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. 254 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:44,720 He said to him, tend my lambs. 255 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:47,760 He said to him again, the second time, Simon son of Jonah, do you love me? 256 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:50,480 He said to him, yes, Lord, you know that I love you. 257 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:52,460 He said to him, shepherd my sheep. 258 00:15:52,460 --> 00:15:56,900 He said to him the third time, Simon son of John, do you love me? 259 00:15:56,900 --> 00:16:00,320 Peter was hurt because he'd said to him the third time, do you love me? 260 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:02,620 And he said to him, Lord, you know all things. 261 00:16:02,620 --> 00:16:04,480 You know that I love you. 262 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:08,760 Jesus said to him, feed or tend my sheep. 263 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:12,080 Verse 18, truly, truly I say to you, when you were younger, you used to put on your 264 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:16,320 belt and walk wherever you wanted, but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands 265 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:21,560 and someone else will put your belt on you and bring you to where you do not wanna go. 266 00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:25,280 Now he said this indicating by what kind of death he would glorify God. 267 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:31,080 And when he had said this, he turned to him and said, follow me. 268 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:33,040 I want you to get the full thrust of the story. 269 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:34,360 It's a long passage. 270 00:16:34,360 --> 00:16:39,360 And I want you to see what Jesus does for Peter. 271 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:44,360 Because what Jesus does for Peter at this moment is everything. 272 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:46,840 And what Jesus does for Peter, he can do for you. 273 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:51,600 And I want you to know that if you're disillusioned or disappointed in God, I want you to know 274 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:56,080 today if there are things about what God is doing and how God's ways are working out in 275 00:16:56,080 --> 00:17:01,920 their life that you just don't understand, that you don't fathom, that you don't like, 276 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:07,120 that causes you to shrink away from God, then today you need to let Jesus do for you what 277 00:17:07,120 --> 00:17:11,440 he did for Peter in this passage in John chapter 21. 278 00:17:11,440 --> 00:17:14,160 That's been my prayer. 279 00:17:14,160 --> 00:17:17,480 So what does Jesus do for Peter that he can do for you? 280 00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:20,360 Jesus can help you first of all remember your identity. 281 00:17:20,360 --> 00:17:23,200 Remember who you are. 282 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:28,780 When Jesus comes up to the seashore and sees the disciples fishing and catching nothing, 283 00:17:28,780 --> 00:17:34,800 he says to them in verse five, children, you do not have any fish, do you? 284 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:38,400 Now remember they've gone back to the boats, not for a week into fishing, but they've gone 285 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:41,640 back to being fishermen. 286 00:17:41,640 --> 00:17:45,520 And because they've gone back to being fishermen, it's really important that they are successful 287 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:49,880 on this particular fishing trip because they basically have said, we followed Jesus for 288 00:17:49,880 --> 00:17:54,240 three years, it's not working out, we don't know what the future holds, we're going back 289 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:56,400 to fishing again. 290 00:17:56,400 --> 00:18:00,480 And when they don't catch anything and they see this man standing on the seashore, what 291 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:02,960 he says to them is really, really important. 292 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:10,720 And what he says to them is the word children, children, you do not have any fish, do you? 293 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:15,120 And most men standing on the side of the seashore calling out to a bunch of burly fishermen 294 00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:17,680 are not going to use the word children. 295 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,720 They're going to say, hey guys, have you caught anything? 296 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:24,440 Some of us might even say, I see you guys out there, have you caught anything? 297 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:29,800 And you faithful disciples, I hope you do, but you deny it or I hope he doesn't catch 298 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:30,800 any. 299 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:35,880 I mean, Jesus could have done anything at that particular moment because there are a 300 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:41,040 group of disciples that have remained relatively faithful if absent while Jesus was being crucified, 301 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:44,920 but Peter was present and yet denying Christ. 302 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:47,720 But he didn't say any of those things. 303 00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:55,960 Jesus says children, he wants them to remember how he brought them into his family, how he 304 00:18:55,960 --> 00:19:00,120 included them in everything that he did. 305 00:19:00,120 --> 00:19:05,280 He basically is saying, hey, let's go, you're one of ours, you're one of us, I want you 306 00:19:05,280 --> 00:19:06,520 to come with me. 307 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:10,640 You know, the Bible goes to great lengths to tell us who we are once we come to faith 308 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:11,640 in Jesus. 309 00:19:11,640 --> 00:19:12,640 You know that, don't you? 310 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:16,800 And the word children or child of God or a son or a daughter of God, that's all through 311 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:17,800 the Bible. 312 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:23,760 In John chapter one, verse 12, scripture says, but as many as received him, to them he gave 313 00:19:23,760 --> 00:19:29,620 the right to become the children of God, even to those who believe in his name. 314 00:19:29,620 --> 00:19:33,120 If you believe in the name of Jesus Christ, if you've given your life to him as Lord and 315 00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:37,520 Savior, you've been given the right to be called the children of God. 316 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:40,080 That's a big deal. 317 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:45,400 In John chapter 13, verse 33, Jesus is teaching his disciples about love and he says, little 318 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:48,480 children, I am with you a little while longer. 319 00:19:48,480 --> 00:19:50,280 He calls them children again. 320 00:19:50,280 --> 00:19:55,480 Paul, the great theologian, when he was writing to the church at Roman chapter eight, he said, 321 00:19:55,480 --> 00:20:00,560 the spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God and if children 322 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:05,120 errors also errors of God and fathom errors with Jesus Christ. 323 00:20:05,120 --> 00:20:10,200 Children, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ today, let me remind you of what your identity 324 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:11,200 is. 325 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:13,200 You are sons and daughters of God. 326 00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:14,800 You are children of God. 327 00:20:14,800 --> 00:20:19,160 Even if you've messed up, even if you've denied Christ, even if you've blown it because Jesus 328 00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:24,200 is calling Peter and the group children. 329 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:30,520 Jesus is going to help remind them of their identity and it's a pretty big deal. 330 00:20:30,520 --> 00:20:36,080 At the same time, Jesus is reminding us and Peter of his identity. 331 00:20:36,080 --> 00:20:41,200 I assure you, Satan is working overtime to make you forget it as fast as he can. 332 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:42,960 He wants you to forget that you're a child of God. 333 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:44,880 He wants you to forget that you've been forgiven. 334 00:20:44,880 --> 00:20:48,280 He wants you to forget that God has a plan for your life. 335 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:52,760 He wants you to focus on the disappointment and the disillusionment and completely forget 336 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:56,880 that you are still connected to Jesus by faith in him. 337 00:20:56,880 --> 00:21:01,680 So it's important for us to keep our minds on who we really are. 338 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:06,040 In essence, Jesus was saying to Peter, you're not the denier, you're the rock. 339 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:07,240 Don't you remember? 340 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:09,680 You're not the outcast, you're family. 341 00:21:09,680 --> 00:21:11,520 You're not who you say you are. 342 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:15,880 You're who I say you are. 343 00:21:15,880 --> 00:21:21,000 Lauren Daigle had a song a few years ago that's still really popular called You Say. 344 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,640 More of the lines of that song is a great reminder for us today. 345 00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:28,600 The only thing that matters now is everything you think of me, referring to God. 346 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:30,880 In you I find my worth. 347 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:32,880 In you I find my identity. 348 00:21:32,880 --> 00:21:37,440 Man, that's so important for us today in this world where we're blown to and fro by all 349 00:21:37,440 --> 00:21:39,040 kinds of thoughts and doctrine. 350 00:21:39,040 --> 00:21:44,360 In one of the most memorable preaching moments of my life, I was in the nation of India preaching 351 00:21:44,360 --> 00:21:49,520 to 21,000 people, but 20,000 women and 1,000 men. 352 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:51,280 I don't know how it worked out like that. 353 00:21:51,280 --> 00:21:54,800 We advertised and 20,000 women showed up and 1,000 men showed up. 354 00:21:54,800 --> 00:22:00,000 It was a huge place out in an open field with chairs, set up in chairs. 355 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:03,920 And normally when you preach in India, on this side are the women and on this side are 356 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:04,920 the men. 357 00:22:04,920 --> 00:22:08,960 But in this particular case, there were so few men that women were on both sides of the 358 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:11,520 rows and the men were way back at the back. 359 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:15,600 Now remember I got up to preach and I had a certain passage that I prepared to preach 360 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:20,440 and the Holy Spirit just nudged my heart and moved me to another passage during the worship 361 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:22,000 time. 362 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:26,040 And that passage happened to be the woman who needed healing and when Jesus healed her, 363 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,960 he said to her, daughter, your faith has made you well. 364 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:34,720 Now when you preach in India, you have an interpreter, a translator, and you preach 365 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:38,440 for about a sentence or two and then he preaches for a sentence or two. 366 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:43,560 You preach for a sentence or two and he preaches four or five sentences, something like that. 367 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:46,280 So I had to think as I was preaching. 368 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:52,200 I said something and then while he interpreted, I was thinking through the congregation. 369 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:56,720 And when I got to the passage where Jesus healed her and called her daughter and he 370 00:22:56,720 --> 00:23:02,080 translated that for them, immediately I saw that the women in the front few rows were 371 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:04,840 starting to cry, to weep, and some of them wail. 372 00:23:04,840 --> 00:23:09,720 And before long it kind of moved backwards like that and there were all kinds of women 373 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:11,280 weeping and crying. 374 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:16,520 And I took a couple of steps back from the pulpit and I brought the translator over and 375 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:17,520 said, what are they doing? 376 00:23:17,520 --> 00:23:20,360 He said, you called them daughter. 377 00:23:20,360 --> 00:23:25,520 And when you told them that they were daughters of the king, that they were daughters of God, 378 00:23:25,520 --> 00:23:26,760 they had never been called that. 379 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:30,480 They've been disowned in every way you can be disowned and that meant the world to them 380 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:35,080 that God would call them daughters, that Jesus would call them daughters. 381 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:40,240 I almost could not even stop preaching again. 382 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:45,440 When I gave the invitation, thousands of women came to faith in Christ because they realized 383 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:50,360 there they had an identity they couldn't find anywhere else on the planet. 384 00:23:50,360 --> 00:23:55,240 Your identity is so incredibly important and Peter needed to be reminded of his identity. 385 00:23:55,240 --> 00:23:56,720 Children have you caught any fish? 386 00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:58,340 You haven't, have you? 387 00:23:58,340 --> 00:24:02,100 And Jesus helps us remember our identity when we allow him to do that. 388 00:24:02,100 --> 00:24:03,720 You are his children. 389 00:24:03,720 --> 00:24:10,120 Now as an earthly father, I can't imagine a scenario in which I will disown my children. 390 00:24:10,120 --> 00:24:14,400 And if that's true, then the heavenly father will never disown you if you are truly a child 391 00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:16,280 of God. 392 00:24:16,280 --> 00:24:18,560 You need to remember your identity. 393 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:24,040 The second thing that Peter has happened to him that Jesus actually brings him to and 394 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:30,400 that he can help us with too is to refresh your faith, to refresh your faith. 395 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:35,080 In verse six, if you look at this text, it says, and he said to them, cast the net on 396 00:24:35,080 --> 00:24:38,840 the right side so they cast. 397 00:24:38,840 --> 00:24:43,160 Now I'll take a step back here for a moment and say that when Peter was denying Christ, 398 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:47,400 I really believe that with the boldness of Peter's life that he was denying Christ at 399 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:50,520 that moment because of fear. 400 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:54,560 He was afraid of what would happen to him, that what was happening to Jesus would happen 401 00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:55,560 to him. 402 00:24:55,560 --> 00:25:00,200 Even though when Jesus said, you'll deny me three times before the rooster crows, Peter 403 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:01,960 said, not I, Lord, not me. 404 00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:05,040 In fact, I will die before I deny you. 405 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:09,960 Now that they're in the moment and now that Jesus is bloody and that on the cross and 406 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:13,800 since he's seen everything that Jesus has gone through with the scourging and the mocking 407 00:25:13,800 --> 00:25:17,440 and all the things that were taking place, Peter is no longer bold. 408 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:21,600 In fact, Peter is fearful and he's doubting. 409 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:26,120 He's wondering maybe this is all wrong. 410 00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:28,520 You know, we're afraid of so much today. 411 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:34,560 I was reading the other day about the fears that people say they have and a top 10 fears 412 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:40,520 list appeared in my search and they were top 10 fears that Christians have today. 413 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:47,520 I fear being out of control or I fear trusting God but it not working out or I fear what 414 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:52,000 people will say if I follow Jesus completely with my life. 415 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:59,080 I fear I won't enjoy life if I obey God in this matter or that or I fear something tragic 416 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:02,840 will happen to me that I can't deal with. 417 00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:09,000 Someone said I fear I won't finish well, that my future is still up in the air. 418 00:26:09,000 --> 00:26:12,680 Someone said I fear that I won't be able to handle temptation that I have in front of 419 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:19,560 me or I fear that these people will be disappointed when they find out who I really am. 420 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:24,240 One said I fear I will fail and God will not forgive me. 421 00:26:24,240 --> 00:26:26,020 We all have fears. 422 00:26:26,020 --> 00:26:27,020 We all have doubts. 423 00:26:27,020 --> 00:26:31,320 You can add to this list many, many items in your own life that you are afraid of or 424 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:33,560 that you doubt because of them. 425 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:36,160 And all these fears could have been Peter's fears as well. 426 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:37,160 It's very, very common. 427 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:41,440 And I would just say to you that we are afraid of so many things in life that we have no 428 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:44,360 real reason to be afraid of. 429 00:26:44,360 --> 00:26:50,840 But the only way that we can get beyond our fears is to learn to trust again. 430 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:53,720 To learn to trust the one that we stopped trusting at some point. 431 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:59,560 To learn to have faith in God the way we once did and that's what Jesus is doing with Peter. 432 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:05,320 At some point Peter has believed Christ, trusted Christ, followed Christ, obeyed Christ, but 433 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:07,160 now he's not doing that. 434 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:11,760 And what Jesus is doing here is giving him small steps of obedience to take. 435 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:17,080 And if Peter will take these small steps of obedience, he'll see how that Christ can be 436 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:18,080 trusted. 437 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:19,960 Cast your net on the other side. 438 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:22,160 Such a small thing. 439 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:24,320 Such a small thing. 440 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:28,760 I would imagine the fishermen being the professional fishermen they were thought who is this guy 441 00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:33,320 on the seashore because they haven't recognized Jesus yet, but at the same time they know 442 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:34,800 they're great fishermen, right? 443 00:27:34,800 --> 00:27:36,400 They've been doing this their whole lives. 444 00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:39,240 They've been fishing all night and there's no fish. 445 00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:40,240 They're not biting. 446 00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:41,920 They're not getting in the net. 447 00:27:41,920 --> 00:27:45,320 There's no way that they're going to do this unless they're willing to trust somebody who 448 00:27:45,320 --> 00:27:49,280 knows something more than they do. 449 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:53,080 So they cast the net on the other side. 450 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,800 I love this moment in the story because Jesus is constantly reminding us that he can be 451 00:27:56,800 --> 00:28:02,440 trusted with our lives, but we only learn this when we trust him enough to obey him. 452 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:08,120 And the only way you really grow in your faith is to do it, is to live it out, is to say, 453 00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:09,720 okay, I don't know how this will work out. 454 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:13,360 I don't know why casting the net on the right hand side of the boat is going to work out 455 00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:16,720 any better than casting it out on the left side of the boat, but I'm going to try what 456 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:19,680 the stranger says on the seashore. 457 00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:23,200 I'm going to throw it in the right side of the boat. 458 00:28:23,200 --> 00:28:27,820 I just remind you that even before we get to that moment where they know it's Jesus, 459 00:28:27,820 --> 00:28:31,460 that Jesus does know life better than we do. 460 00:28:31,460 --> 00:28:34,400 He does know marriage better than we do. 461 00:28:34,400 --> 00:28:36,660 He does know your job better than you do. 462 00:28:36,660 --> 00:28:38,700 He does know the future better than you do. 463 00:28:38,700 --> 00:28:41,120 He does know your friendships better than you do. 464 00:28:41,120 --> 00:28:42,720 He knows church better than you do. 465 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:44,320 He knows community better than you do. 466 00:28:44,320 --> 00:28:46,260 He knows everything better than you do. 467 00:28:46,260 --> 00:28:50,640 He even knows fishing better than those guys did. 468 00:28:50,640 --> 00:28:52,040 Jesus knows everything better. 469 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:55,000 And to refresh your faith, 470 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:57,080 you have to learn to trust him with steps, 471 00:28:57,080 --> 00:29:01,440 small steps maybe, but steps nonetheless. 472 00:29:01,440 --> 00:29:03,820 It's at this moment in the story, it's so amazing to me, 473 00:29:03,820 --> 00:29:06,560 in this encounter, the disciples hear Jesus, 474 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:09,040 even though it hasn't dawned on them that it is Jesus, 475 00:29:09,040 --> 00:29:11,860 but they hear him saying, casting that on the other side, 476 00:29:11,860 --> 00:29:14,640 and they actually do it. 477 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:18,240 The stranger to them is saying, try fishing this way. 478 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:23,240 So they cast again and they get 153 large fish, 479 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:25,340 and they struggle to get them all in. 480 00:29:25,340 --> 00:29:29,440 It's not just 153 fish, it's 153 large fish. 481 00:29:29,440 --> 00:29:31,880 It's a great fishing moment, but it's even bigger, 482 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:34,240 it's a bigger faith moment. 483 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:35,360 It's a faith moment. 484 00:29:36,880 --> 00:29:38,480 I know what you want, you wanna know, 485 00:29:38,480 --> 00:29:41,640 what is the significance of 153 fish? 486 00:29:42,940 --> 00:29:45,600 And I've done the study and I'll tell you definitively, 487 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:49,840 I know exactly what 153 means in this passage. 488 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:51,600 I've done a lot of reading and I'll tell you 489 00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:54,200 that some people believe this is an apocalyptic passage. 490 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:56,880 This has to do with the passage of time 491 00:29:57,840 --> 00:29:59,800 and helps us know when Christ will come back. 492 00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:00,900 I don't believe that. 493 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:06,000 Others say that because numbers are denoted 494 00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:07,440 for each Hebrew letter, 495 00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:11,520 that 153 stands for something significant. 496 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:14,200 One particular commentator said, 497 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:17,640 well, 153 is the same number that was used 498 00:30:17,640 --> 00:30:19,600 to define how many people built the temple, 499 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:22,440 except it was 153,000, so they're the same thing, 500 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:26,040 153,000, 153 fish. 501 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:27,440 I don't believe that either, 502 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:31,560 but I do know what this stands for. 503 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:35,680 This is 153 reasons to trust Christ again. 504 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:38,720 That's all it is. 505 00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:43,720 It's 153 reasons to trust Christ 506 00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:45,400 instead of trusting theirself. 507 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:49,320 I mean, they've been trusting themselves all night long. 508 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:51,200 They've been doing it their way all night long 509 00:30:51,200 --> 00:30:55,340 and when Jesus says, throw the net on the other side 510 00:30:55,340 --> 00:30:58,720 and they do it, it's a great, great faith moment. 511 00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:01,640 It's just 153 more reasons to believe Jesus 512 00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:03,480 for everything he tells you to do 513 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:05,600 and it's just this precise moment, 514 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:08,060 this very, very second, this very moment 515 00:31:08,060 --> 00:31:09,880 when they catch all these fish 516 00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:12,480 that John turns to Peter and says, 517 00:31:12,480 --> 00:31:16,400 it is the Lord, it's the Lord. 518 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:18,740 That guy on the seashore, that's Jesus. 519 00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:22,600 This is a pretty important moment 520 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:26,880 and of course, what happens is incredible, 521 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:27,960 but John is simply saying, 522 00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:29,800 this is the one that called us this way. 523 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:33,520 He helped us find fish back when we first were called. 524 00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:38,280 He's the one that called you to walk on the water, Peter. 525 00:31:38,280 --> 00:31:41,320 He's the one that raised the dead and healed the sick. 526 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:44,240 That's that one, that's who he is, it's the Lord. 527 00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:46,000 And when he said, it is the Lord, 528 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:48,600 that's when Peter began to do everything 529 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:51,220 in the sense of coming to Jesus. 530 00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:55,220 He jumped out of the boat. 531 00:31:57,320 --> 00:31:58,680 He smelled the charcoal fire 532 00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:01,760 that was there on the side of the seashore, 533 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:05,640 the same kind of fire as was burning during his denial. 534 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:07,360 He's getting the fish out of the boat. 535 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:09,920 Incredible rush of memories that Peter is having 536 00:32:09,920 --> 00:32:13,680 about why Peter had first trusted Christ in the first place 537 00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:14,840 and why he was struggling. 538 00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:17,400 It's an important moment of faith. 539 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:19,800 I don't know if you've ever been at those moments of faith, 540 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:21,400 but it's a moment where you say, 541 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:23,480 I need to trust him again. 542 00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:26,360 Can I trust him again? 543 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:30,160 Sometimes you have to get back up in the saddle 544 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:33,680 and ride the horse again after you've fallen off of it. 545 00:32:33,680 --> 00:32:37,440 Ron Dunn made an amazing statement 546 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:41,120 after being down in the deepest part of his life. 547 00:32:41,120 --> 00:32:44,840 He'd lost a son to suicide, taken some time off, 548 00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:46,280 came back to the church he'd pastored 549 00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:47,120 and made this statement. 550 00:32:47,120 --> 00:32:50,920 He said, I've been to the bottom and it's solid down there. 551 00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:53,280 And God will meet you there. 552 00:32:54,580 --> 00:32:57,160 Tim Keller, who passed away last week, made this statement. 553 00:32:57,160 --> 00:32:59,480 Jesus will always exceed our expectations. 554 00:32:59,480 --> 00:33:01,840 He will be more than what we can ask for 555 00:33:01,840 --> 00:33:04,160 or even imagine every time, 556 00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:07,480 but you have to be patient for him to bring that about. 557 00:33:08,520 --> 00:33:10,720 And Peter's at this point of refreshing his faith 558 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:14,320 and renewing all the confidence 559 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:15,560 that he's had in Jesus before. 560 00:33:15,560 --> 00:33:17,240 We have to refresh our faith. 561 00:33:18,920 --> 00:33:22,840 And then number three, Jesus will help you renew your love. 562 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:27,560 You notice in verse 15, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 563 00:33:27,560 --> 00:33:29,120 do you love me more than these? 564 00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:34,000 These were the threefold questions that were asked by Jesus 565 00:33:34,000 --> 00:33:35,000 to Peter. 566 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:36,400 And before we get to those questions, 567 00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:39,020 I wanna point out that Jesus has been very intentional 568 00:33:39,020 --> 00:33:40,840 with everything he's doing in this text 569 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:43,400 with powerful reminders about all the things 570 00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:45,480 that they've seen already before 571 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:48,440 and they're just being reminded of them again. 572 00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:51,400 For example, he issued the call to cast nets again, 573 00:33:51,400 --> 00:33:54,600 just like he did before he called them in Luke chapter five. 574 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:55,600 They'd been fishing all night. 575 00:33:55,600 --> 00:33:57,440 They came to the side of the seashore. 576 00:33:57,440 --> 00:33:58,720 They weren't yet disciples, 577 00:33:58,720 --> 00:34:01,080 but Jesus said, go back out and cast again. 578 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:04,120 Oh, we've been fishing all night. 579 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:06,400 No, go back out and do it again. 580 00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:07,240 And they go do it again. 581 00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:08,240 This time the nets break. 582 00:34:08,240 --> 00:34:09,480 There's so many fish, the nets break 583 00:34:09,480 --> 00:34:11,320 and they come back to the seashore. 584 00:34:11,320 --> 00:34:14,320 And Jesus, Peter rather gets on his knees 585 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:16,840 and says, Lord, depart from me for I'm a sinful man. 586 00:34:16,840 --> 00:34:18,040 For the first time in his life, 587 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:20,320 he's convicted that someone greater than him 588 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:21,760 is standing in front of him. 589 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:27,640 And this event in John 24 is reminder of their original call. 590 00:34:28,100 --> 00:34:29,360 He feeds them breakfast. 591 00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:31,840 He's giving them bread and fish, 592 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:35,360 just like he fed the multitudes with and the miracle. 593 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:38,400 They saw that and they felt it again. 594 00:34:38,400 --> 00:34:40,640 He stands before them alive again. 595 00:34:40,640 --> 00:34:43,080 This is the third time he stood before them alive 596 00:34:43,080 --> 00:34:45,840 and that he's reminded them again, I am alive. 597 00:34:45,840 --> 00:34:48,560 Even the charcoal fire is reminder 598 00:34:48,560 --> 00:34:50,280 that when Peter denied Christ, 599 00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:51,960 it was in front of a charcoal fire, 600 00:34:51,960 --> 00:34:54,520 a vivid reminder of Peter's denial. 601 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:57,800 So Jesus is asking all these leading questions 602 00:34:57,800 --> 00:35:00,440 and arranging all these things to remind them 603 00:35:00,440 --> 00:35:05,120 of why he believed and how he can renew his love. 604 00:35:06,080 --> 00:35:08,680 In essence, Jesus is moving to this point 605 00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:12,640 that will show that love and grace is present for Peter 606 00:35:12,640 --> 00:35:15,440 when he's ready to come back to Jesus. 607 00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:18,680 Do you remember this significant conversation 608 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:22,120 that Jesus had with Peter when he said, 609 00:35:22,120 --> 00:35:23,760 you need to forgive your enemies? 610 00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:27,240 Peter said, how many times should I forgive them? 611 00:35:27,240 --> 00:35:28,080 Seven? 612 00:35:29,160 --> 00:35:33,320 And Jesus said, I say to you not seven, but seven times 70. 613 00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:35,200 You should forgive them seven times 70. 614 00:35:35,200 --> 00:35:40,200 If Jesus told Peter to forgive them seven times 70 times, 615 00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:43,080 what do you think Jesus is prepared to do for Peter? 616 00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:46,840 He's prepared to forgive him. 617 00:35:46,840 --> 00:35:49,200 He's prepared to restore him. 618 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:50,800 God has enough grace to forgive us. 619 00:35:50,800 --> 00:35:53,040 God has enough grace to restore us 620 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:54,920 no matter how far away we are from God. 621 00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:57,400 We probably sometimes think we're far, far from God, 622 00:35:57,400 --> 00:35:59,960 but far to you is not far to God. 623 00:35:59,960 --> 00:36:02,080 The Bible says in Romans chapter five, verse 20, 624 00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:06,120 where sin increased, grace abounds all the more. 625 00:36:06,120 --> 00:36:08,800 That's a theological truth about the God we worship. 626 00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:10,640 His grace is enough. 627 00:36:10,640 --> 00:36:13,040 And all this is leading to the question 628 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:16,560 where Jesus asked Peter, do you love me more than these? 629 00:36:17,880 --> 00:36:20,880 Do you love me more than your friends? 630 00:36:20,880 --> 00:36:25,880 Do you love me more than your boats in your former career? 631 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:29,480 Do you love me more than the 153 fish? 632 00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:32,360 You love me more than anything and anyone? 633 00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:35,120 Countless messages have been preached 634 00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:38,200 about these three questions and the three answers, 635 00:36:38,200 --> 00:36:40,000 utilizing every nuance of the language. 636 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,800 We could break it down and write a whole book about it. 637 00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:46,000 But in essence, what Jesus is actually doing for Peter 638 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:48,280 is asking this question. 639 00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:51,680 Can you learn to love me again? 640 00:36:52,920 --> 00:36:54,920 Because I've never stopped loving you. 641 00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:00,640 Not only did Jesus never stop loving Peter, 642 00:37:00,640 --> 00:37:04,320 Jesus demonstrated the ultimate sacrifice 643 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:07,280 of laying his life on the cross for Peter. 644 00:37:07,280 --> 00:37:09,920 Surely Peter knows Jesus loves him. 645 00:37:11,200 --> 00:37:13,920 Though he's saying, do you love me? 646 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:18,680 And these questions brought Peter back to the realization 647 00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:19,960 that he truly loved Jesus 648 00:37:19,960 --> 00:37:22,200 and was willing to follow him again. 649 00:37:22,200 --> 00:37:24,240 Whether he understood or not, did you know this? 650 00:37:24,240 --> 00:37:28,200 Did you know that you don't have to understand God's ways 651 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:29,400 in order to love God? 652 00:37:30,520 --> 00:37:33,280 You don't have to know how the outcome is going to happen. 653 00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:35,840 You don't have to know what it's gonna look like in the end. 654 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:37,640 You don't have to know how long you'll be on earth 655 00:37:37,640 --> 00:37:40,680 or how you'll die or all the circumstances of your future. 656 00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:44,000 You don't have to know those things in order to love God. 657 00:37:44,000 --> 00:37:46,720 You don't have to understand the past in order to love God. 658 00:37:46,720 --> 00:37:48,080 All these things that have happened 659 00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:50,480 and you can't reconcile in your mind that you say, 660 00:37:50,480 --> 00:37:53,480 God, I'm struggling with you because I don't understand why. 661 00:37:53,480 --> 00:37:54,960 You don't have to understand those. 662 00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:58,800 You can still love Jesus even when nothing makes sense. 663 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:02,520 And that's what Jesus is asking Peter to do. 664 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:05,160 Do you love me? 665 00:38:06,360 --> 00:38:08,600 Lord, you know I love you. 666 00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:11,720 I love you more than 10 my lambs, 667 00:38:11,720 --> 00:38:14,760 shepherd my sheep, ten my sheep. 668 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:20,240 He says, Peter, I not only want you to follow me again, 669 00:38:21,760 --> 00:38:25,080 but I want you to love and lead others who follow me. 670 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:28,360 I'm restoring you to everything you ever had 671 00:38:28,360 --> 00:38:30,120 as a leader and as a follower. 672 00:38:31,720 --> 00:38:33,040 Let me ask you a very plain question. 673 00:38:33,040 --> 00:38:34,720 Do you think Peter wept that day? 674 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:37,440 The Bible says when he denied Jesus, 675 00:38:37,440 --> 00:38:39,400 he went out and wept bitterly. 676 00:38:39,400 --> 00:38:42,600 So I know he was capable of crying, capable of tears. 677 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:46,080 I think Peter is weeping at this moment. 678 00:38:46,080 --> 00:38:50,360 I can't believe you love me even though I have left you. 679 00:38:51,960 --> 00:38:53,600 But basically Jesus' love is big enough 680 00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:55,040 to cover it for both of us. 681 00:38:56,000 --> 00:38:57,440 So I know this. 682 00:38:57,440 --> 00:38:59,560 If you've been disillusioned and disappointed, 683 00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:01,640 if you've been far from God in some way, 684 00:39:01,640 --> 00:39:03,360 if you've distanced yourself from Jesus 685 00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:06,480 because of all the things that have happened in your life, 686 00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:08,280 can you look back one more time 687 00:39:09,400 --> 00:39:13,240 and can you see if it's in you to come back to him 688 00:39:13,240 --> 00:39:14,800 and to love him once again? 689 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:17,920 Peter, do you love me? 690 00:39:18,920 --> 00:39:20,080 Peter, do you love me? 691 00:39:21,080 --> 00:39:22,960 Peter, do you love me? 692 00:39:22,960 --> 00:39:24,920 You can put your name in that sentence. 693 00:39:27,120 --> 00:39:28,480 You know, about a year after 694 00:39:29,680 --> 00:39:31,920 Kim threw that little block of wood away, 695 00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:33,800 she went out and bought another block. 696 00:39:33,800 --> 00:39:36,800 It was very crafty, very artistic. 697 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:38,560 It was a blank piece of wood. 698 00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:43,360 And she took a paintbrush and wrote the verse on it. 699 00:39:43,360 --> 00:39:45,600 You can guess what the verse is. 700 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:50,600 Psalm 1830, as for God, his way is perfect. 701 00:39:50,720 --> 00:39:53,320 We remembered who we were. 702 00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:55,400 We'd learned to trust again, we'd learned to love again, 703 00:39:55,400 --> 00:39:57,760 and we realized we didn't have to understand everything 704 00:39:57,760 --> 00:40:00,800 in order to say, as for God, his way is perfect. 705 00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:03,000 I don't know if my mind is able to comprehend 706 00:40:03,000 --> 00:40:03,840 what perfection is. 707 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:05,640 I don't know if yours is either. 708 00:40:05,640 --> 00:40:10,280 But as for God, his way is perfect. 709 00:40:10,280 --> 00:40:12,040 And that's what Peter did that day. 710 00:40:12,040 --> 00:40:13,880 He did. 711 00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:20,880 I included verse 19 in the reading of the text 712 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:23,120 because at the end of it all, 713 00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:25,080 Jesus calls us back to the beginning. 714 00:40:26,680 --> 00:40:28,920 He said once more, follow me. 715 00:40:28,920 --> 00:40:30,680 Follow me. 716 00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:32,680 Let's get started again. 717 00:40:32,680 --> 00:40:33,520 Follow me. 718 00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:35,560 You know the rest of the story. 719 00:40:35,560 --> 00:40:37,440 They did start following Jesus again. 720 00:40:37,440 --> 00:40:39,120 They did leave those boats behind. 721 00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:41,960 They did go and wait for the Holy Spirit to come. 722 00:40:41,960 --> 00:40:45,920 They did become the leaders of the New Testament church. 723 00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:50,000 They did continue to love Jesus even until the death. 724 00:40:51,240 --> 00:40:52,960 So my question to you today is this. 725 00:40:52,960 --> 00:40:55,600 Will you come back today 726 00:40:55,600 --> 00:40:59,240 to remembering who you are? 727 00:40:59,240 --> 00:41:03,120 Can you come back today to trusting him one more time? 728 00:41:03,120 --> 00:41:07,120 Can you come back today to loving him again? 729 00:41:08,320 --> 00:41:10,040 I wanna do something a little unusual. 730 00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:11,040 I want you to bow your head, 731 00:41:11,040 --> 00:41:12,440 close your eyes for just a moment. 732 00:41:14,320 --> 00:41:16,080 And in this room over these next few moments, 733 00:41:16,080 --> 00:41:19,360 I just want you to personalize the life of Peter 734 00:41:19,360 --> 00:41:21,600 in the text that I've shared with you today. 735 00:41:22,440 --> 00:41:24,960 And if you've been disappointed and disillusioned 736 00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:27,560 with things the way Peter may have been, 737 00:41:28,760 --> 00:41:31,400 and you need to come back to remember who you are, 738 00:41:31,400 --> 00:41:34,960 come back to trusting again, come back to loving again. 739 00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:36,320 Would you just stand wherever you are? 740 00:41:36,320 --> 00:41:37,160 I'm just gonna pray for you. 741 00:41:37,160 --> 00:41:39,200 You're not gonna be asked to come forward 742 00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:40,960 or anything like that, but would you just stand? 743 00:41:40,960 --> 00:41:45,240 And let me just spend a moment praying for you today. 744 00:41:45,240 --> 00:41:48,800 Stand up and just do it in anonymity. 745 00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:50,680 Nobody needs to be looking around. 746 00:41:51,840 --> 00:41:54,840 Just stand up and let me pray for you. 747 00:41:54,840 --> 00:41:57,560 I'm gonna pray for you today, wherever you are. 748 00:41:57,560 --> 00:41:59,600 People are standing up all over the room. 749 00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:00,600 Don't be afraid to do it. 750 00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:04,760 There's something about acting on a message 751 00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:06,120 that makes it different. 752 00:42:06,120 --> 00:42:07,920 We walk away in a different way. 753 00:42:11,400 --> 00:42:13,360 And before I pray, those standing, 754 00:42:13,360 --> 00:42:16,720 if you'll just keep standing before I pray, 755 00:42:16,720 --> 00:42:19,000 I'm just gonna give you these invitations. 756 00:42:19,880 --> 00:42:22,200 There may be those in the room today, 757 00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:23,480 included those that are standing, 758 00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:25,400 that may need to stop by the decision station 759 00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:27,760 and talk to someone about a decision for Christ. 760 00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:30,480 Maybe you need to put your trust in Him for the first time. 761 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:33,760 Or maybe talk to someone about the current crisis of faith 762 00:42:33,760 --> 00:42:35,240 you're experiencing right now. 763 00:42:35,240 --> 00:42:36,320 That's my first invitation. 764 00:42:36,320 --> 00:42:38,200 The second one is if you're a guest, 765 00:42:38,200 --> 00:42:40,320 I'd love to invite you to our guest reception room 766 00:42:40,320 --> 00:42:43,200 outside the center exit doors across the hallway. 767 00:42:43,200 --> 00:42:44,480 Love to meet you for just a moment, 768 00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:45,320 tell you about our church. 769 00:42:45,320 --> 00:42:48,400 The third invitation is bring somebody with you next week. 770 00:42:49,560 --> 00:42:51,200 It's such an important series. 771 00:42:51,200 --> 00:42:52,800 But for now, I wanna pray. 772 00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:54,960 Would you bow with me? 773 00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:55,960 Father, in Jesus' name, 774 00:42:55,960 --> 00:42:57,960 there are those standing across this room 775 00:42:57,960 --> 00:43:00,920 who have said by their standing, 776 00:43:00,920 --> 00:43:03,760 I need to remember who I am. 777 00:43:03,760 --> 00:43:06,720 I need to learn to trust again. 778 00:43:06,720 --> 00:43:09,280 I need to learn to love again. 779 00:43:10,440 --> 00:43:12,480 And Father, I don't know what's happened around them 780 00:43:12,480 --> 00:43:16,400 and inside their mind or thoughts or body or circumstances, 781 00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:19,560 don't need to know those things, but Lord, I know. 782 00:43:19,560 --> 00:43:22,280 Sometimes life is so difficult. 783 00:43:22,280 --> 00:43:24,480 Sometimes ups and downs are so hard. 784 00:43:24,480 --> 00:43:26,440 Sometimes the lows are so low. 785 00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:29,160 And Father, right now, I pray that you would give 786 00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:31,240 each of these individuals a reminder, 787 00:43:31,240 --> 00:43:33,840 a gentle but powerful, unforgettable reminder 788 00:43:33,840 --> 00:43:36,080 that they are your children. 789 00:43:36,080 --> 00:43:38,440 They are the children of God through Christ. 790 00:43:39,400 --> 00:43:42,160 And Father, I pray that you draw them close to yourself. 791 00:43:42,160 --> 00:43:45,120 Just do that by the power of your Holy Spirit. 792 00:43:45,120 --> 00:43:48,760 And Father, remind them again that you have always loved them. 793 00:43:48,760 --> 00:43:50,000 Never stop loving them. 794 00:43:51,240 --> 00:43:53,200 And Father, I pray that you would help them trust again, 795 00:43:53,200 --> 00:43:56,160 even the simplest things, even the small little commands 796 00:43:56,160 --> 00:43:59,440 you give us, all add up when we trust you once, 797 00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:01,360 we can trust you again, help them do that, 798 00:44:01,360 --> 00:44:05,360 and then help them renew their love for you. 799 00:44:05,360 --> 00:44:07,480 Even though things aren't making sense, 800 00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:09,840 you're still Jesus, you're still Lord. 801 00:44:10,720 --> 00:44:12,760 And Lord, you've loved us with an everlasting life. 802 00:44:12,760 --> 00:44:14,320 Thank you so much. 803 00:44:14,320 --> 00:44:16,080 So Father, today, I pray that you'll bring about 804 00:44:16,080 --> 00:44:20,160 a great victory over these things in these lives, 805 00:44:20,160 --> 00:44:24,440 and I ask this in Jesus' name, amen. 806 00:44:24,440 --> 00:44:26,600 Now, you may all stand, you may all be dismissed. 807 00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:27,640 God bless you today. 808 00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:48,240 Thank you for being here.