Going Fishing

Title: "Going Fishing: A Journey of Imperfect Love and Restoration"

Introduction:

Dear friends, today we gather to celebrate the life of Ben, a beloved member of our family, church and community. He had a passion for fishing and a heart full of love. As I reflected on his life, I sensed the Holy Spirit drawing me to the story of Peter's restoration by the shores of the sea, let us draw inspiration from the journey of imperfect love and divine restoration.

Many of us, even those with a familiarity with the Bible hold in our minds ideas of the Lord, the apostles and times of the Bible that upon an intimate reading of Scripture turns out a bit upside down. Perhaps you’ve felt Jesus and the apostles as stern and stoic. You may feel you may never live up. So you feel you cast upon the sea would not be welcome in His presence.

Perhaps you view God as disinterested in your hurts and and heartache. You believe you must protect yourself from those who failed you so you keep others at a distance. You think that will protect your heart. So you hold onto hurts, grudges, and unforgiveness, even with those who have wanted to be restored to you. In the corner of your heart, you know that’s not healthy or good for you. But, then fear and self-protection puts the arm out and says, I’m not going to risk it.

When we allow our experience our expectation to be the authority, we come to wrong conclusions. So I’ve observed some people see God as unforgiving and believe they’ve committed the unforgivable sin. Others see God as favoring them because of some good we do or some hurt we’ve experienced. We miss the reality that the ground at the cross is even. We don’t recognize their own need of forgiveness from God. Then we hold others to an impossible standard of perfection that no one can rise. The moment someone crosses that line, they say, I’ll never forgive them.

Based on the happenstance here, I imagine Peter, the one who spent three years ministering and watching Jesus directly still needed to grow in the reality of grace and love. I hope we hear some of ourselves in Peter and truly hear Christ speaking to you today through the text.

John 21:3–8 (NLT)

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.

Jesus when calling Peter, said, “Come follow me, I will make you fishers of men.” After the resurrection, Peter went back to his previous occupation. Even after meeting the resurrected Christ, seeing miracle after miracle, feeding the five thousand, walking on water, defeating demons, and the defeat of death in the resurrection, Peter seems to throw in the towel, why?

Remember Peter boasted in himself right before Christ’s passion? He even cut off Malcus’ ear. He was ready to fight for the Lord. However, when it came to dying to himself and confessing to be a friend of Jesus, he literally “Chickened out.”

Could it be that Peter projected his own feelings and

John 21:15–17 (NIV)

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

Note that the KEY ISSUE FOR THE LORD was not PETER’S Failure!

The KEY ISSUE IS PETER’s UNDERSTANDING OF GOD’s LOVE!

Peter needed to have a change of perspective.

If I understand love only to be based on what you do for me, how you treat me, or how I treat you, taken to it’s logical extent, we will all be very lonely and it will occur very quickly as you and I fail or have someone fail us.

God’s love is a GIVING and Forgiving Love. It is not a selfish love. It’s truly the love everyone wants or needs. But, it’s a love that can only be understood by coming into the presence of God and submitting to Him. But not submitting to Him as some Ogre with a Billy Club, but submitting to His way of loving where the Bible when it says, “God so loved the world, He gave His only Son...” The Son also gave Himself. What did He give Himself to?

The cruel mockery of the Sanhedrin, the vile beating and scorching lashes of the soldiers beating Him, and the agony on the cross.

He chose to be made nothing so that we could experience His love, forgiveness and restoration.

Somewhere in Peter’s heart he felt he had crossed a line. He had not just failed a friend, he failed the Lord, he even denied Jesus and he failed to do what he promised to do.

Peter had failed publicly so Jesus RESTORED him publicly. Some things when they are of a public nature impacted many, would need a public restoration. Most things are of a private nature and need to be done between friends and family.

While Peter went back to angling for trout, bass, or salmon, Jesus went fishing for Peter!

It’s one thing to be committed to the concept of love, forgiveness and restoration. It’s another thing to live it!

Jesus lived it up close and in person!

You can impress people from a distance, but you can only have an impact upon them up close. Howard Hendricks

Jesus takes all the messy imperfections of our love and remakes in His Image… But we HAVE TO HEAR HIM, SEE HIM, and allow His values to supersede our values and understanding.

Peter was called once again to love.

Take care and protect the baby sheep! Babies only place demands on us. They need to be feed, put to bed, taught to walk… Love does that without expectation of any return. Parents don’t come home from the hospital shouting whoop, we’ve just won the lottery. All our financial problems are gone. This kid will mow the lawn, cook dinner, clean the house, drive us to galas. No. This kid will consume most of our time and money! But, it’s worth it.

But then he said take care of my sheep. Serve them. All my children are sheep. Peter I love them all. I want them all to be loved and to learn to love like me.

You know Jesus says Luke 7:47

Luke 7:47 CSB

47 Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that’s why she loved much. But the one who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Jesus wasn’t saying, go and sin a bunch so you can learn to love lots. What Jesus meant is that when you really see God’s perfection and how selfish and selfserving, how many sinful habits and attitudes have a hold on you, do you begin to see how deeply sinful you truly are. It changes your perception. It’s not merely an academic thought “Oh but for the grace of God there go I.” It is a heartfelt CRY and Concern. You see the danger of being UNLOVED, UNFORGIVEN and UNRESTORED.

Oddly, did I mention the Bible is a strange book? It tells us of a God unlike any other God? It calls us to a religion that to those who examine it, learn it is unlike any other religion?

When you see how many sins you really commit and like Peter how we even sin against our own commandments AND YOU HEAR and SEE what really matters to God, you become drawn closer to him. Rather than sail away, you draw closer to Jesus who HUGS you, forgives you, and as you example and through the indwelling Holy Spirit, your heart of love and forgiveness grows.

Reflection on Imperfect Love:

Ben was a person who understood the complexities of love and made it simple. He knew the joy of casting his line that consisted of a giant smile, a hearty handshake and a wholesome laugh. He spread his net wide into the waters, expecting bountiful catch friends. He knew how to turn a frown upside down with a smirk, a personal jab that indicated he knew you to a T, a big smile and hug that said, “I am sooooo happy to see you.” If Ben were a dog, his tail would always be wagging!

Yet, like Peter, Ben also experienced the depths of imperfect love—the love that falters, doubts, and falls short of perfection. How often do we, like Peter, profess our love for God and yet find ourselves stumbling in our actions? How often do we say things that upon later reflection, we don’t really mean. How often do we keep promises we don’t keep whether by forgetfulness, neglect, or an unwillingness.

How many families by guilt, unforgiveness, or bitterness allow the lines and ties that God intended to bind us together get tangled and snap?

So, friend, if you find yourself sinking in those waves, don’t think you alone have faced these struggles. The old song says,

I was sinking deep in sin,   Far from the peaceful shore, Very deeply stained within,   Sinking to rise no more; But the Master of the sea   Heard my despairing cry, From the waters lifted me,   Now safe am I. Love lifted me! Love lifted me! When nothing else could help,   Love lifted me. Love lifted me! Love lifted me! When nothing else could help,   Love lifted me.

Ben's life reminds us that we are all fishermen and fisherwomen of imperfect love. We cast our nets with the best of intentions, but sometimes we come up empty-handed or even tear our nets with our own doubts and fears. Yet, just as Jesus called Peter to continue fishing despite his failures, so too does He call us to persevere in love.

I don’t know all the difficulties Ben faced in life. But, I do know that Ben chose to live above them. He chose to believe the best about God, others, to pray for the best, and work at being the best husband, dad, son, brother, and friend he could be.

Ben grew to know Christ every day and chose to be more loving.

The Call to Love:

Jesus' threefold question to Peter—"Do you love me?"—echoes in our hearts today. It is a question that challenges us to examine the depths of our love for God, our family, and our friends. Jesus doesn't ask for perfect love; He asks for sincere love—a love that is willing to grow, to learn, and to be perfected by His grace.

Ben understood this call to love. While I don’t personally know of this, but he may not have always gotten it right, but if you look and listen to him, his heart was always open to loving others as Christ loved them. Whether it was through a warm smile, a helping hand, or a listening ear, Ben exemplified the love of Christ in his daily life.

Living as Loving Friends:

In the midst of our imperfect love, let us remember that Jesus is the best friend by our loving friendliness. Just as He restored Peter by the shores of the sea, so too does He seek to restore and perfect our love. Let us cast aside our doubts and fears, and embrace the call to love boldly and faithfully.

Conclusion:

As we bid farewell to Ben today, let us take comfort in the knowledge that they now rest in the loving arms of their Savior. May we honor their memory by living lives filled with love, compassion, and grace. And may we always remember that Jesus is indeed the best friend by our loving friendliness.

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we thank You for the gift of Ben's life and the example of imperfect love and divine restoration. May we, like Peter, respond to Your call to love with sincerity and faithfulness. Give us the strength to cast aside our doubts and fears, and to embrace the love that You offer us each day. Amen.