1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,000 Well, it seems fitting on this day that we not only celebrate Mother's Day, but we celebrate 2 00:00:05,000 --> 00:00:07,360 fish in Minnesota. 3 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:13,180 And there are many out worshiping the fish god this morning that we turn our Bibles to 4 00:00:13,180 --> 00:00:16,080 a fishing scene. 5 00:00:16,080 --> 00:00:20,320 And Paul, before you run away, I'm going to ask you to read the text for me today to save 6 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:21,320 my voice, okay? 7 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:26,440 I thought I was pretty well over this crud that I've been suffering with the last couple 8 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:28,200 of weeks, but it came back with a vengeance. 9 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:30,560 So who would you like to read? 10 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:39,160 We're going to read in John chapter 21, beginning in verse 1 down through verse 14. 11 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:41,680 Thank you. 12 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:45,360 John 21, 1 to 14. 13 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:52,240 After these things, Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, 14 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,760 and he manifested himself in this way. 15 00:00:55,760 --> 00:01:01,880 There were together Simon, Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathaniel of Cana in 16 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:07,600 Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 17 00:01:07,600 --> 00:01:11,240 Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing. 18 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:14,080 They said to him, we will also come with you. 19 00:01:14,080 --> 00:01:18,320 They went out and got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 20 00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:23,360 But when the day was now breaking, Jesus stood on the beach. 21 00:01:23,360 --> 00:01:26,960 But his disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 22 00:01:26,960 --> 00:01:32,680 Jesus therefore said to them, children, you do not have any fish, do you? 23 00:01:32,680 --> 00:01:35,080 They answered him, no. 24 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:41,680 And he said to them, cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find a catch. 25 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:45,920 They cast therefore, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number 26 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,160 of the fish. 27 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:53,840 That disciple therefore whom Jesus loves said to Peter, it is the Lord. 28 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:59,920 And so when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for 29 00:01:59,920 --> 00:02:05,200 he was stripped for work and threw himself into the sea. 30 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:10,400 But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, 31 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:15,100 but about 100 yards away, dragging the net full of fish. 32 00:02:15,100 --> 00:02:20,660 And so when they got out upon the land, they saw a charcoal fire already laid, and fish 33 00:02:20,660 --> 00:02:23,480 placed on it and bread. 34 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:28,760 Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish which you have now caught. 35 00:02:28,760 --> 00:02:37,080 Simon Peter went up and drew the net to the land full of large fish, 153. 36 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:41,080 And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 37 00:02:41,080 --> 00:02:44,520 Jesus said to them, come and have breakfast. 38 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:52,040 Now none of the disciples ventured to question him, who are you, knowing that it was the 39 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:53,400 Lord. 40 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:59,120 Jesus came and took the bread and gave them and the fish likewise. 41 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:05,080 This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to the disciples after he was raised 42 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:06,080 from the dead. 43 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:07,080 Amen. 44 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:08,080 Thank you, Paul. 45 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:14,760 You can just start right here now, the sermon, and just work your way down this page. 46 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:21,360 Well, there are probably some fishermen out there, including the governor of this state, 47 00:03:21,360 --> 00:03:25,120 that would like to have Jesus for a fishing guide. 48 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:28,080 They didn't catch anything. 49 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:31,480 But he told them where to put the net, and the net almost broke. 50 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:33,600 There were so many fish. 51 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:39,680 And when they got to shore, the fire was already lit, they were about ready to eat. 52 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:47,240 The message this morning is one that I think fits many of us, because it is a message for 53 00:03:47,240 --> 00:03:51,160 those who have experienced failure in their lives. 54 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:54,200 Have you ever experienced failure? 55 00:03:54,200 --> 00:04:01,320 What we see here is Jesus Christ, the risen King, restoring one of his cherished friends, 56 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:11,160 Peter, from a humiliating, embarrassing, and public failure. 57 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:17,640 Restoring him from that to another opportunity of meaningful service. 58 00:04:17,640 --> 00:04:26,920 This chapter reads a bit like an addition to the Gospel of John, something like an anticlimax, 59 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:31,240 because the climax of the book comes in chapter 20, where Thomas cries out, my Lord, in my 60 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,600 God. 61 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:38,440 But there is convincing evidence within the text of chapter 21 that it was written by 62 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:43,760 John as an addendum with a purpose. 63 00:04:43,760 --> 00:04:51,600 In the first place, John wanted to correct a rumor, a mistaken rumor that he, John, would 64 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:56,200 not die until Jesus returned. 65 00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:00,240 He makes that clear in verses 22 and 23. 66 00:05:00,240 --> 00:05:08,280 This Gospel was the last of the Gospels written, perhaps 25 years after Matthew and Luke wrote 67 00:05:08,280 --> 00:05:11,320 their Gospels. 68 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:19,520 In about 85 AD, John was a very old man by this time, especially for those days. 69 00:05:19,520 --> 00:05:26,320 He wanted to correct the rumor, lest some be discouraged. 70 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:32,240 Because if he died and the Lord hadn't come, and they misunderstood what Jesus had said, 71 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:34,400 you can understand the problems. 72 00:05:34,400 --> 00:05:37,560 So he wanted to correct that. 73 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:44,320 But I believe he also wrote this chapter to explain how Peter came to be the leader of 74 00:05:44,320 --> 00:05:53,080 the apostolic band, despite the failures in his life, and especially that terrible failure 75 00:05:53,080 --> 00:05:58,480 when he denied the Lord on the night of his trial. 76 00:05:58,480 --> 00:06:04,720 And so this text records for us a Galilean manifestation of the risen Christ. 77 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:11,240 In fact, three times, it says in verses 1 and 14, that Jesus manifested himself to his 78 00:06:11,240 --> 00:06:12,240 disciples. 79 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:16,840 He disclosed himself to them with a purpose. 80 00:06:16,840 --> 00:06:25,880 A failure in a believer's experience is not the end of life. 81 00:06:25,880 --> 00:06:28,040 I'm going to repeat that. 82 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:37,120 Failure in a believer's experience is not the end of life. 83 00:06:37,120 --> 00:06:41,120 There's someone seated here this morning who feels like that your life as a Christian has 84 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:51,160 come to an end because you have failed the Lord in some way. 85 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:57,000 And what I want you to see in this chapter is that that is not the case. 86 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:01,640 We're going to note how the narrative unfolds to assure all of us who have failed the Lord 87 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:09,440 that he comes yet again to us, to restore us. 88 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:17,240 How likely Peter had already been personally restored to fellowship with the Lord. 89 00:07:17,240 --> 00:07:23,160 That probably occurred on the very first Easter Sunday when Jesus and Peter had a private 90 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:29,040 meeting. 91 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:37,220 I choke up as I think about that meeting and what Peter must have said to Jesus as they 92 00:07:37,220 --> 00:07:42,160 met one on one that Easter Sunday. 93 00:07:42,160 --> 00:07:49,760 Undoubtedly he blurted out how sorry he was. 94 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:58,400 He wept and Jesus had seen the tears three days before. 95 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:02,800 And so Jesus had restored him to fellowship on that first Easter Sunday. 96 00:08:02,800 --> 00:08:05,780 But now something more needs to happen. 97 00:08:05,780 --> 00:08:10,000 He needs to be restored to his place of service. 98 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:14,160 And that's what I want to talk to some of you about today. 99 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:20,480 Because while you may be restored to the Lord in fellowship from your failure, you have 100 00:08:20,480 --> 00:08:26,440 some sense that you can't be used by God again. 101 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:35,020 And I want you to know that that is not a sense that comes from God. 102 00:08:35,020 --> 00:08:39,880 As chapter 21 opens we see that Peter went back to the familiar. 103 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:42,320 He went back to fishing. 104 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:48,240 I believe he did that in part because he lost confidence of his value to Christ. 105 00:08:48,240 --> 00:08:51,720 He was in fellowship with the Lord, but what could he do now? 106 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:54,560 He had blown it. 107 00:08:54,560 --> 00:08:57,480 And so in Galilee he went fishing. 108 00:08:57,480 --> 00:09:01,360 I've heard preachers wail away at Peter and the other apostles because they were back 109 00:09:01,360 --> 00:09:02,920 in Galilee fishing. 110 00:09:02,920 --> 00:09:06,240 I'm not doing that. 111 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:12,000 In fact they went back to Galilee because Jesus told them to go back to Galilee. 112 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:15,720 He told them that at the Last Supper. 113 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,160 And he told them that on Easter Sunday. 114 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:22,680 Go back to Galilee. 115 00:09:22,680 --> 00:09:28,440 So however many days later, we don't know, but they did end up back in Galilee, that 116 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:35,440 three or four day journey from Jerusalem being necessary. 117 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:45,580 Perhaps it was the tedium, the boredom of the stay in Galilee. 118 00:09:45,580 --> 00:09:53,620 Maybe it was the necessity of providing for his family because Peter had a wife and children. 119 00:09:53,620 --> 00:09:58,400 We sometimes forget he was a family man. 120 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:01,680 Perhaps it was out of necessity that he decided to go fishing. 121 00:10:01,680 --> 00:10:07,720 Now Peter knew how to fish. 122 00:10:07,720 --> 00:10:16,320 Peter and James, John and Andrew, they were fishermen by trade. 123 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:20,120 He had grown up on the lake. 124 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:26,000 They had been involved apparently in a partnership, the four of them. 125 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:32,320 And it had been apparently also a prosperous business. 126 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:38,040 And so he went back to fishing because he lost some larger sense of purpose due to his 127 00:10:38,040 --> 00:10:40,560 sense of failure. 128 00:10:40,560 --> 00:10:51,200 He had regained his fellowship, but he had not yet regained a sense of mission, of meaning 129 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:55,560 to his life. 130 00:10:55,560 --> 00:11:02,600 Like Peter and these others, I think all of us tend to gravitate toward what is comfortable, 131 00:11:02,600 --> 00:11:11,120 toward what is familiar to us when we don't know what else to do. 132 00:11:11,120 --> 00:11:14,200 I don't believe we ought to condemn Peter. 133 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:19,560 At least Peter is not moping around in depression. 134 00:11:19,560 --> 00:11:22,920 At least Peter is not paralyzed by his sense of failure. 135 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:30,240 He's doing what he can do, what he knows to do. 136 00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:36,080 And then this incident happened where Jesus appeared to them. 137 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:41,240 Peter and the others are in a familiar setting, and Jesus now builds on the familiar to remind 138 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:44,940 Peter of his calling. 139 00:11:44,940 --> 00:11:53,560 In the things that took place on this morning, Jesus intentionally did things to stir up 140 00:11:53,560 --> 00:11:56,220 Peter's memory. 141 00:11:56,220 --> 00:12:03,840 Now to understand that, you're going to need to turn with me back to Luke chapter 5. 142 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:14,460 Luke records for us the call of Peter and the others in this fifth chapter. 143 00:12:14,460 --> 00:12:18,880 There are some who think that these are the same events and that John just sort of changes 144 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:21,640 it around to make it interesting. 145 00:12:21,640 --> 00:12:23,760 That simply is not true. 146 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:25,640 Two entirely different events. 147 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:29,760 But you're going to see some interesting parallels. 148 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:35,160 It came about that while the multitude were pressing around him and listening to the word 149 00:12:35,160 --> 00:12:38,280 of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. 150 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:42,880 That's another name for the same place, the Sea of Galilee. 151 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:47,080 Jesus saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake, but the fishermen had gotten out of 152 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:51,040 them and were washing their nets. 153 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:54,560 And he got into one of the boats, which was Simon's, and asked him to put out a little 154 00:12:54,560 --> 00:13:00,400 way from the land, and he sat down and began teaching the multitudes from the boat. 155 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:05,160 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, Simon, I'm going to give you some 156 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:09,160 remuneration here for letting me use your boat. 157 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:14,520 He says, put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch. 158 00:13:14,520 --> 00:13:20,360 And Simon answered and said, Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing. 159 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:24,200 But at your bidding, I will let down the nets. 160 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:28,420 And when they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish and their nets began 161 00:13:28,420 --> 00:13:30,560 to break. 162 00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:34,660 And they signaled to their partners in the other boat for them to come and help them, 163 00:13:34,660 --> 00:13:39,920 and they came and filled both of the boats so that they began to sink. 164 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:43,960 But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet, saying, Depart from me, for 165 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:47,120 I am a sinful man, O Lord. 166 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:52,760 For amazement had seized him and all his companions because of the catch of fish which they had 167 00:13:52,760 --> 00:13:54,480 taken. 168 00:13:54,480 --> 00:13:59,700 And so also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. 169 00:13:59,700 --> 00:14:02,940 And Jesus said to Simon, Do not fear. 170 00:14:02,940 --> 00:14:06,960 From now on, you will be catching men. 171 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:17,200 Now we learn in Matthew and I think also in Mark that he also said to them, Follow me. 172 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:19,540 Now I want you to notice the situation. 173 00:14:19,540 --> 00:14:26,080 Keep your finger here maybe in Luke chapter 5 and go back to John and just compare. 174 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:29,880 Notice how Jesus connects these events. 175 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:36,420 In the first event in Luke chapter 5, the first event chronologically, Jesus calls 176 00:14:36,420 --> 00:14:40,200 Peter to service. 177 00:14:40,200 --> 00:14:46,640 He says, Follow me, I am going to make you a fisher of men. 178 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:49,320 That happened at the Sea of Galilee. 179 00:14:49,320 --> 00:14:53,860 Where did Jesus meet Peter? 180 00:14:53,860 --> 00:15:00,240 And Peter was overcome by failure and felt he had no use to the Lord any longer at the 181 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:03,360 Sea of Galilee. 182 00:15:03,360 --> 00:15:12,120 And if you study this, you find out that those people like Peter who lived in Capernaum actually 183 00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:19,880 had their fishing boats about two miles down the shore at a little place that is called 184 00:15:19,880 --> 00:15:23,080 Tabgha. 185 00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:29,240 Those of you who have been to the Holy Land probably have visited that spot. 186 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:33,240 It was the harbor for the fishing industry of Capernaum. 187 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:38,960 Now if you fished much, you know that you probably wouldn't want to have the fishing 188 00:15:38,960 --> 00:15:42,540 industry near the village, right? 189 00:15:42,540 --> 00:15:47,240 There would be some smell connected with it. 190 00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:52,600 Capernaum was about a thousand or fifteen hundred in population. 191 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:57,800 By the way, that was ten times the size of Nazareth. 192 00:15:57,800 --> 00:16:01,540 Nazareth was just a little old dinky place in those days. 193 00:16:01,540 --> 00:16:04,720 What good could come out of Nazareth? 194 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:08,040 So Jesus had left Nazareth and moved to Capernaum that became headquarters. 195 00:16:08,040 --> 00:16:12,740 It was a big city in comparison. 196 00:16:12,740 --> 00:16:16,760 And the fishing industry was very prosperous in Capernaum. 197 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:21,540 About two miles down the shore, there was a spring, in fact several springs, that flowed 198 00:16:21,540 --> 00:16:23,000 into the Sea of Galilee. 199 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:30,560 It was at those springs that they would wash their nets because the water flowed swiftly 200 00:16:30,560 --> 00:16:35,120 and they were able to clean the nets out as the springs came out of the hill into the 201 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:37,760 Sea of Galilee. 202 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:45,000 Because this is a volcanic area in the great rift valley that runs from Mount Hermon down 203 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:51,040 through Israel, through the Red Sea and over into Africa, there's a lot of unusual activity 204 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:53,440 that takes place there. 205 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:59,400 And these springs that flow out of the hill are warm springs. 206 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:05,680 As they flow into the Sea of Galilee, they naturally attract fish, especially those fish 207 00:17:05,680 --> 00:17:09,760 that enjoy warmer water in the wintertime. 208 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:13,480 That would not be Minnesota fish, but there are other kinds of fish in the world besides 209 00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:15,400 Minnesota fish. 210 00:17:15,400 --> 00:17:16,920 So they enjoy the warm water. 211 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:17,920 They would come to the shore. 212 00:17:17,920 --> 00:17:22,480 It was just a natural place for these fishermen not only to take care of their nets but also 213 00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:24,880 to fish. 214 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:31,640 It was that very same spot where Jesus called Peter to service in Luke chapter 5 that he 215 00:17:31,640 --> 00:17:39,520 now meets him again after his resurrection. 216 00:17:39,520 --> 00:17:41,840 Notice that they're in the same company. 217 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:48,480 Peter and Andrew, James and John and others in addition are there. 218 00:17:48,480 --> 00:17:53,840 So there's the familiarity of the same friends being together. 219 00:17:53,840 --> 00:18:01,680 As was customary and even necessary, they fished during the night. 220 00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:04,880 And they had fished all night and they caught nothing. 221 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:12,280 Very unusual for professional fishermen to catch nothing. 222 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:19,360 Like before, Jesus ordered them to try again. 223 00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:31,340 As before, they obeyed and the nets were miraculously filled. 224 00:18:31,340 --> 00:18:37,720 When they got to shore, there was a fire of coals. 225 00:18:37,720 --> 00:18:48,040 That's not in Luke chapter 5, but you will find a charcoal fire where Peter warmed himself 226 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:51,680 at the trial of Jesus, where he denied the Lord. 227 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:54,600 There was a charcoal fire. 228 00:18:54,600 --> 00:19:00,120 There is another one here beside Galilee. 229 00:19:00,120 --> 00:19:07,360 Jesus broke bread with them as he had at the Last Supper. 230 00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:12,440 And after some more conversation, which we didn't read this morning in John chapter 21, 231 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:18,880 again Jesus says to Peter, follow me. 232 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,560 Do you see all the similarities? 233 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:28,420 You see how Jesus built on that which was familiar in order to reinstitute in Peter 234 00:19:28,420 --> 00:19:33,040 a sense of calling and purpose. 235 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:40,920 Peter spoke, or Jesus rather spoke to Peter then, to reinstigate in him a confidence of 236 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:43,240 his calling. 237 00:19:43,240 --> 00:19:46,920 And it seems to me he spoke in several ways. 238 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:49,200 He spoke first in a parabolic experience. 239 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:56,960 In other words, this whole thing that happened was a parable, a real life parable. 240 00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:00,320 The parable basically was two-fold in those lessons. 241 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:07,080 Number one, self-directed work is fruitless. 242 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:15,000 You can work all night being a professional fisherman and come up with no fish in the 243 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:18,760 prosperous Sea of Galilee. 244 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:27,160 But if you obey Jesus Christ, you will have abundant blessing. 245 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:30,480 Jesus had said to them, I will make you fishers. 246 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:33,200 Now think of that. 247 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:36,600 You're a professional fisherman and Jesus says to them, I will make you fishers. 248 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:39,040 You're going to make me a fisherman, Lord? 249 00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:41,800 You're a carpenter. 250 00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:50,000 He says, no, I will make you fishers, but I will teach you how to catch men. 251 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:55,680 And so Jesus, through the very experience of what happened that morning, spoke through 252 00:20:55,680 --> 00:21:06,960 a real life parable to Peter, reminding him that self-directedness ends up with nothing. 253 00:21:06,960 --> 00:21:15,080 But if we hear Christ's command and obey it, we will enjoy his blessing. 254 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:20,480 Secondly, he spoke to Peter through a public interrogation. 255 00:21:20,480 --> 00:21:24,320 This is verses 15 through 17, familiar verses. 256 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:29,840 He did this not to inflict pain on Peter, but to heal his pain. 257 00:21:29,840 --> 00:21:32,100 Three times Peter had denied his Lord. 258 00:21:32,100 --> 00:21:39,200 Three times now he's able to affirm his love and his commitment to Jesus publicly. 259 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:45,500 And three times Jesus says to Peter, feed my sheep. 260 00:21:45,500 --> 00:21:48,120 What is happening here? 261 00:21:48,120 --> 00:21:52,640 What is Jesus trying to do to Peter? 262 00:21:52,640 --> 00:22:01,200 He is trying to reinstate in Peter a sense of confidence that he was still usable. 263 00:22:01,200 --> 00:22:06,680 Peter felt like he had failed and he couldn't be used by God anymore. 264 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:12,400 And yet three times Jesus says in the presence of these very close friends, Peter, I have 265 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:15,760 confidence in you. 266 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:16,760 Feed my sheep. 267 00:22:16,760 --> 00:22:21,520 I have something for you to do. 268 00:22:21,520 --> 00:22:27,760 And then he speaks to Peter through a personal announcement in verse 18. 269 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:33,840 It is a prophecy regarding Peter's death. 270 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:38,080 Now can you imagine what was in Peter's mind? 271 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:40,360 He's saying, Lord, you're asking me to do that. 272 00:22:40,360 --> 00:22:46,480 How do I know whether I will fail again? 273 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:53,160 How do I know that I won't blow it again, Lord, like I did before? 274 00:22:53,160 --> 00:23:01,280 And by what he says in verse 18, Jesus gives to Peter assurance that even in the very end, 275 00:23:01,280 --> 00:23:09,080 when he will be carried to a place he would rather not go, a place of crucifixion, tradition 276 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:14,320 says, that Peter would be faithful. 277 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:17,240 Did Peter remember this? 278 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:19,180 Yes he did. 279 00:23:19,180 --> 00:23:24,520 And when he wrote his second epistle as he was nearing his martyrdom, he talks about 280 00:23:24,520 --> 00:23:30,100 the fact that the Lord Jesus had showed him that he must soon depart. 281 00:23:30,100 --> 00:23:32,400 He knew he was going to die. 282 00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:36,760 But Jesus here gave him assurance that he would be faithful. 283 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:40,520 He may have blown it, yes, but he could be restored, he could serve the Lord, and he 284 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:43,200 would be faithful. 285 00:23:43,200 --> 00:23:47,560 And then in verse 22 there's a powerful reminder. 286 00:23:47,560 --> 00:23:53,320 Because Peter turns around and he says, Lord, what about John? 287 00:23:53,320 --> 00:23:57,320 And Jesus said, Peter, that's really not your business. 288 00:23:57,320 --> 00:23:59,120 You just follow me. 289 00:23:59,120 --> 00:24:01,640 You just follow me. 290 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:08,040 So there's a reminder to Peter that he, Jesus, is Lord, and that he is in control of all 291 00:24:08,040 --> 00:24:20,300 of the events surrounding our lives, and that he has alone the right to choose our destiny. 292 00:24:20,300 --> 00:24:28,800 And if Peter is going to be carried out and crucified by the Lord's choice, so John would 293 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:34,900 have a destiny also of the Lord's choice, and we know from history that it was to live 294 00:24:34,900 --> 00:24:39,520 a long life before he ultimately died. 295 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:42,960 There's a powerful reminder. 296 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:47,000 Peter on this occasion was completely restored. 297 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:53,600 His heart was overflowing, I believe, with a deeply felt devotion to Jesus. 298 00:24:53,600 --> 00:24:58,700 Within just a few weeks of this very morning, he would stand before countless thousands 299 00:24:58,700 --> 00:25:04,000 of people at the temple and preach to them. 300 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:09,720 And the result would be that 3,000 people would be saved in that one meeting. 301 00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:16,920 Yes, Peter was restored to service, and he was filled with a new confidence that God 302 00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:20,800 could use him. 303 00:25:20,800 --> 00:25:28,480 What a very special friend Jesus was to Peter. 304 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:35,880 John Geyer writes, what kind of friend inspires devotion like that? 305 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:43,440 He answers, a friend who prayed for Peter when he was weak, a friend who forgave Peter 306 00:25:43,440 --> 00:25:52,280 when he failed, a friend who healed a painful memory, a friend who loved him, a friend who 307 00:25:52,280 --> 00:26:08,640 believed in him, a friend like Jesus, a friend who first laid down his life for Peter. 308 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:14,120 I want you to know this morning that failure in your life and experience is not the end 309 00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:17,040 of things. 310 00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:24,480 Our risen King Jesus Christ deeply desires to restore you, if you have failed, to a renewed 311 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:28,200 purpose. 312 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:34,360 And he will do that through divinely arranged encounters that he might manifest himself 313 00:26:34,360 --> 00:26:36,800 to you. 314 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:43,960 It may be the experiences of life will become like a parable, speaking to you, showing you, 315 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:47,320 convincing you. 316 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:54,340 It may be that someone will be sent by the Lord to talk to you directly. 317 00:26:54,340 --> 00:26:59,800 It may be in the word of God that he will give a personal announcement to you, or some 318 00:26:59,800 --> 00:27:05,760 kind of powerful reminder of what he has called you to do in life, that though you may have 319 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:15,240 blown it, he still desires to use you. 320 00:27:15,240 --> 00:27:19,680 If you're sitting here today and like Peter, at the beginning of the chapter, you've had 321 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:28,560 a major failure in your life that has destroyed your sense of purpose or usefulness to God. 322 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:32,080 This is good news. 323 00:27:32,080 --> 00:27:37,200 It may be that you've had a breakdown in your marriage. 324 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:42,760 It may even be that you've experienced divorce. 325 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:46,600 And you feel as a result of that failure in your life, you're just done, you're on the 326 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:50,260 shelf, God can't use you anymore. 327 00:27:50,260 --> 00:27:57,200 Not according to John 21. 328 00:27:57,200 --> 00:28:02,680 You may have had a moral fall, and you've done something you thought you would never 329 00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:06,880 do. 330 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:10,840 You grew up knowing that that was wrong. 331 00:28:10,840 --> 00:28:13,280 You knew that you shouldn't do it. 332 00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:17,480 And yet you've experienced a fall morally. 333 00:28:17,480 --> 00:28:23,120 And you have convinced yourself, and the devil has been there to say amen, that because of 334 00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:32,560 that moral fall in your life, God can't use you for anything anymore, that's a lie. 335 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:38,280 Perhaps it is a failure in your life, some disappointment with God. 336 00:28:38,280 --> 00:28:44,080 Or you've gotten angry with God. 337 00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:46,640 And that anger, you just exploded at God. 338 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:53,560 And because you did that, you feel that God is angry at you. 339 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:59,440 And somehow you hear echoing in your mind the idea that God is so mad at you, he's going 340 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:04,080 to make your life miserable. 341 00:29:04,080 --> 00:29:07,240 And he's never going to touch you again with blessing. 342 00:29:07,240 --> 00:29:11,840 That's a lie. 343 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:17,000 It may be that like Peter, in some way you've denied the Lord. 344 00:29:17,000 --> 00:29:19,800 And that moment of test, you said, I don't even know the man. 345 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:23,240 I don't know who he is. 346 00:29:23,240 --> 00:29:24,760 I don't know what the failure may be. 347 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:26,480 But my point today is this. 348 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:29,640 Your life is not over. 349 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:35,040 There where sin abounds, grace much more abounds. 350 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:40,000 That God's grace is sufficient for any failure in your life. 351 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:48,920 He wants to restore you to fellowship, to himself, and he wants to restore you to purpose 352 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:53,840 and to meaning in life. 353 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:55,200 Will you do that this morning? 354 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:59,240 Will you let him restore you? 355 00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:00,720 Will you let him speak to your heart? 356 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:08,840 And will you, like Peter, say, Lord, Lord, you know that I love you? 357 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:11,760 And his words to you will be very simple. 358 00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:16,440 Then follow me. 359 00:30:16,440 --> 00:30:22,120 And I will make you what I want you to be. 360 00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:25,320 Let's pray. 361 00:30:25,320 --> 00:30:38,040 Father, I thank you, myself, for the encouragement of this chapter. 362 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:45,680 And I pray for all of my brothers and sisters who are here, but especially for those that 363 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:51,720 somehow overcome by failure. 364 00:30:51,720 --> 00:30:57,280 And whether that failure be public or it be a very private one, they're battling today 365 00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:03,840 with a sense of value and usefulness to you. 366 00:31:03,840 --> 00:31:14,600 For Jesus, as you came to the Sea of Galilee and restored Peter, as we stand beside Galilee 367 00:31:14,600 --> 00:31:30,280 in our thoughts today, restore your children who are hurting within due to their failure. 368 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:40,080 Before I finish praying, I wonder if you want to say something to the Lord. 369 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:43,600 Do you need to acknowledge your failure? 370 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:45,600 Be restored in fellowship? 371 00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:50,640 Then do that. 372 00:31:50,640 --> 00:31:57,960 Do that so that you can hear his words to follow him. 373 00:31:57,960 --> 00:32:02,120 Become your love for Jesus this morning. 374 00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,120 Amen. 375 00:32:04,120 --> 00:32:17,920 I'm going to ask you to open your hymnal and turn to 336. 376 00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:20,920 Number 336. 377 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:31,320 It simply says, Jesus, I come to you out of my sorrow and my night, out of my shameful 378 00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:33,000 failure and my loss. 379 00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:37,600 Jesus, I come. 380 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:43,680 And if this morning you want to come to the Lord and be restored, and you hear his voice 381 00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:51,800 calling you as it were beside the sea, I want to invite you to slip out from where you're 382 00:32:51,800 --> 00:32:55,840 going to be standing and come right here to the front and together we're going to have 383 00:32:55,840 --> 00:33:00,680 prayer after we have dismissed the service. 384 00:33:00,680 --> 00:33:08,480 Because I want you to go out of here with your heart confident that life is not over. 385 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:17,960 Jesus is the Lord who gives another opportunity and he's offering that to you today. 386 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:39,200 Let's stand as we sing 336, first verse.