We
are in week two of a brand new sermon series called: “Life
Lessons from the beach”.
As
you read the Scriptures, you’ll come across some amazing life lessons, and some
of these life lessons actually took place on, or near bodies of water, so this
series focuses on some of these accounts and we are looking for the key truth
from these stories.
Last
Sunday we examined Luke chapter 5, and asked—and hopefully—answered this
important question: “What are you trying to do without Jesus?”
We also said that the Life lesson from
Luke chapter 5 is that obedience is better and we all need Jesus.
This
morning’s life lesson involves many of the same elements as found in Luke chapter
5, but the context and life lesson is altogether different, so if you have your
Bibles with you, I invite you to turn with me to John 21:1-18.
“Later, Jesus
appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it
happened.
2 Several of the
disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from
Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.
3 Simon Peter said,
“I’m going fishing.”
“We’ll come, too,”
they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the
beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was.
5 He called out,
“Fellows, have you caught any fish?”
“No,” they replied.
6 Then he said,
“Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!”
So they did, and
they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
7 Then the disciple
Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was
the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the
water, and headed to shore.
8 The others stayed
with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about
a hundred yards from shore.
9 When they got
there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire,
and some bread.
10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just
caught,” Jesus said.
11 So Simon Peter
went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and
yet the net hadn’t torn.
12 “Now come and
have some breakfast!” Jesus said.
None of the
disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.
13 Then Jesus
served them the bread and the fish.
14 This was the
third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from
the dead.
15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon
Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter
replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
16 Jesus repeated
the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter
said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of
my sheep,” Jesus said.
17 A third time he asked him, “Simon
son of John, do you love me?”
Peter
was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time.
He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then
feed my sheep.” (John 21:1-17, NLT2)
There is so much
truth from this passage, so I want to give you the life lesson right up front.
If you get nothing else from church today, get this:
“Anyone can be
forgiven from anything”
Lord, bring to life this passage…
A lot has
transpired since Luke Chapter 5. Jesus had been crucified, buried, and had
risen again from the grave, and was making His way back to the Father, but
before He ascended into heaven, there was something that He had to attend to…
What does Jesus
find His disciples doing when He shows up on the shore of the Sea of Galilee?
The only thing they knew how to do…fish.
It’s almost as
if Peter and Company had hit the reset button on thier lives, because they are
back fishing on the Sea of Galilee.
The Bible tells
us that Peter and Company had the same results fishing at night as they did in
Luke chapter 5.
As they are
making their way back to the shore, a Voice calls to the weary fisherman: “Fellows, have you
caught any fish?”
“No,” they replied”
(John 21:5, NLT2)
They had fished
all night and hadn’t caught anything, so the Voice from the shore tells them
to: “Throw out
your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!””
(Jn. 21:6a, NLT2)
They ponder this
command for a second, and then they cast their nets over the right side of the
boat, and, what do you know, “…they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many
fish in it.” (Jn.21:6b, NLT2)
John immediately
has an “a-ha!” moment. His mind flashed back to that other fishless night and
he remembered Who had led them to another large catch, and immediately shouts
out: “…It is the
Lord!” (Jn.21:7b, NIV)
At this, Peter
jumps out of the boat and heads right for the shore where he meets up with
Jesus, while the others bring in the boat—and fish.
When they arrive
on shore, they are greeted with an invitation from Jesus to sit and eat some of
the 153 large fish that they had just caught.
After breakfast,
Jesus turned to Peter and asked him and unusual question: “Simon son of John, do you love (agapaō) me more than these?” (Jn.21:15a, NLT2)
Jesus was
wondering if Peter loved Him more than the other disciples that were gathered
around the camp-fire.
But He was also
asking if Peter loved Him with a divine love.
Peter responded
by saying: “Yes,
Lord…you know I love (philēo)
you.” (Jn.21:15b, NLT2)
Peter said that
his love for Jesus did not compare to that of the others, for he loved Jesus as
one would love a dear friend.
Not quite what
Jesus had asked.
A second time
Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him with a divine Love, and again Peter responded
by telling Jesus that He loved Him as one would love a close friend.
Jesus asked
Peter a third time if he loved Him, only this time, Jesus used the same word
for Love that Peter used in his responses.
Jesus asked if
Peter loved Him as one loves a dear friend, and Peter responded by stating that
he did love Jesus in that way. Peter loved Jesus with a deep personal love.
Why the focus on
this particular exchange? To remind us that “Anyone can be forgiven of anything!”
Remember, it was
Peter who said: “…Even
if everyone else deserts you, (Jesus) I never will.” (Mark 14:29, NLT2)
Peter made the
bold claim that he would remain by the side of Jesus even if no one else would.
Peter then went
on to say—after hearing Jesus tell him that he would deny Jesus three times-- “Even if I have to
die with you, I will never deny you!” (Mark 14:31b, NLT2)
Peter claimed
that he would not deny Jesus, but that very night Peter did in fact deny Jesus,
not once, not twice, but three times.
Three times Peter denied that he
knew Jesus. Three times Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him.
It is very
possible that Jesus used this public encounter over breakfast with Peter’s
closest friends to remind Peter that, while his sin was great, the grace of God
was greater still.
Jesus used this
moment to teach Peter—and the other disciples gathered around—that anyone can be
forgiven of anything, even if that anything is denying that you know
Jesus.
I wonder today
how many of us need to let this simple life lesson from the beach sink deep
into our hearts.
Ø
How many of us are dealing with the pain of our
poor choices?
Ø
How many of us are dealing with the pain of
someone else’s poor choices?
Ø
How many of us can’t seem to let the past remain
in the past?
Ø
How many of us are dealing with emotional,
physical, mental, or even spiritual baggage that we have no business carrying
around?
Peter thought
that his life of serving Jesus was over.
The last words
Jesus had heard come from his mouth declared that Peter did not know Jesus, but
now, on this very shore, Jesus provided
for Peter, but this time, Jesus gave Peter what He needed most: redemption.
ILLUSTRATION- The single largest
publication of the 1960’s was a catalogue provided by a company called Sperry
& Hutchinson, AKA S&H.
This
company also provided “green stamps”.
At
their height, S&H printed three times more stamps than the United States
government. They published enough catalogues to more than circle the earth.
If
you saved enough of their stamps you could get…a toaster. Or another appliance.
One school in Pennsylvania saved 54 million stamps and bought two
gorillas for a local zoo.
Once
you had collected these stamps from supermarkets, department stores, or even
gas stations, you would take them to a place called a redemption center to be
exchanged. Redeemed.
“With endless patience, at infinite cost to Himself, God
had been waiting since the beginning of history—watching, suffering, loving--until,
in the fullness of time he sent his only begotten Son to a redemption center on
a hill called Calvary.”
“What does he
want to redeem…God wants to redeem you.”
You
see, “God is
still in the business of redemption, specializing in bringing something very,
very good, out of something very, very bad.” (adapted from Ortberg, 2010, 241-242)
God
gave Peter a second chance that day, and God is longing to give you a second
chance this day.
It honestly doesn’t matter what
you’ve done; how bad you think you are, what other people might think about
you, God’s grace is available to you; God longs to redeem you.
This
life lesson from the beach reminds us that God can and will go anywhere to
bring His children the grace and mercy they need; He’ll even go to where least
expect Him.
The
disciples never thought they would come face to face with Jesus on the beach,
but they did, and if you are dealing with something that’s just too big for
you, I want to encourage you to look for—and find--- the life changing power of
Jesus.
You’ll
notice that after Jesus had restored Peter, and gave him a glimpse into the
kind of life he would live from that moment on, He gave Peter a single command:
“…follow me” ( JN.21:19, NLT2)
The call has always been—will
always be—to follow Jesus, not for what He can do for you, but for what He
wants to do in you.
If
you’re ready for God to remove the junk that you’re carrying around, today is
your grace-filled day.
This
life lesson from the beach reminds us that “anyone can be forgiven from anything”,
even what that thing you’re holding on to.
We
read in 2 Corinthians 12, that God’s “…grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect
in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV)
God’s
grace is enough to remove all the junk that has been, that is piling up in your
life and He is inviting you to receive this grace right now:
“Come to me, all of
you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, NLT2)
If
your heart, life and walk with God isn’t what or where it should be today, this
life lesson from the beach reminds us that anyone can be forgiven of anything.
Jesus
is waiting beside the beach to bring you what you need the most: redemption.
As
we move into a time of reflection and response, if the Lord is speaking to you
about receiving his mercy, grace and forgiveness, don’t leave this place until
you meet with Jesus, who is inviting you to come to Him.
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