Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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ME:
Well now that Christmas is over
presents are unwrapped
meals have been eaten
family has come and gone
Everything is in disarray
Packages and wrappers are overflowing the trash cans
Tinsel and pine needles are everywhere
Dishes are still piling up in the sink
Air beds and linens still need to be cleaned and put away
and your Christmas decorations are no longer as pristine as when they first were put up a month ago
Life is messy, chaotic, untidy, imperfect
And it’s not just after Christmas that life gets that way
In fact, life is that way more often than not
And because life is that way for so many of us
we tend to yearn for tidiness and order
That is why in so many films
we have those closing epilogues
after the movie ends, we have the main characters shown in order
and each character has a happily ever after closing
Joe went on to become a billionaire
Jane’s good name was restored and got the dream job she always wanted
Jim and Janet went on to get married and lived a long life together watching their grandchildren and great grandchildren grow up
That sense of completeness satisfies a longing in us
As we venture through the chaos and disorder of life, we can either follow our own path to satisfy that longing
or we can follow the path of Jesus
We are back in John’s Gospel this morning, finishing it up in chapter 21
Which is really an epilogue of the entire Gospel
And in this epilogue we see the message of the entire gospel summarized in two little words from Jesus
“Follow Me”
So as we prepare to look at the command to follow the One Who has come down to earth in , let’s come together in prayer
WE:
Let’s begin with our confidence in the sovereignty of Christ in ;
This is the conclusion of His appearances during the resurrection narrative of Jesus in
And it begins with this fishing tale.
What is the purpose of this fishing tale at the end of John’s Gospel?
John’s Gospel has been on this progression
back in chapters 13-17, Jesus was with His disciples the night before He died, notifying them of His coming death, while also encouraging and instructing them
Then in chapters 18-19, we saw the betrayal of Judas, leading to Jesus’s arrest, trial, torture, and crucifixion
Before we got to chapter 20, where we see the miraculous redeeming grace of the resurrection of Jesus
and really, chapter 20 seems to be theconclusion of John’s Gospel
The closing verses, , say;
But God had John pen this 21st chapter, the epilogue
That brings order to our disordered lives
And John begins this epilogue, with this fishing story that serves as a portrait for us
With the main character being a disciple who has fallen from a man ready to die with Jesus
to a man who three times denied even knowing Jesus
The Apostle Peter
Who we see at the beginning of this epilogue
gathered together with a group of the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias
And why do they all go fishing?
vs. 3 says, Peter says, ‘I am going fishing’
He didn’t even say, let’s all go fishing
or want to join me?
No, he simply said he was going fishing
and the rest of the disciples with him decide to follow his lead
and join him going fishing
Now many have speculated Peter’s heart behind all this
and though it is ultimately speculation, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume Peter may have, in part, been motivated by his denial
be it shame, or doubt about his standing as an Apostle, that maybe Jesus revoked His invitation to have Peter follow Him
Whatever that motive, Peter returns to what he knows, fishing
He is leaning on his own strength as a professional fisherman
and He misleads the other disciples back to leaning on their own strength as well
You see, Peter is a leader amongst leaders, he influences these other leaders by just simply doing what he is doing
We all need to be aware of who we are influencing
Casting Crowns has a song called Slow Fade that speaks to this
It is a caution to be careful what you say, to be careful what you do
because there are eyes that will see you, there are feet that will follow you, there are ears that will listen to you
Consider who you have been influencing then ask yourself if you have been influencing them toward Christ
Let’s continue to look at Peter to see how we can learn from him to ensure we are influencing people toward Christ
So Peter and the other professional fishermen are very likely frustrated from an entire nights of work with no catch
This fishing story here echoes an earlier account in ;
So similar
toiling all night with no fish being caught
An unexpected command to let down their nets
suddenly a boatload of fish
And the first time in , Jesus ends it with the exhortation to Peter that from now on, he will catch men.
In , Jesus gave Peter a purpose
But here he is again in , returning to the purposelessness of fishing because it is what he is good at, what he knows
and he has foolishly led other men of God down that same path
So, what happens in our passage in ?
Jesus shows up, provides 153 fish for the disciples, then tells them to bring some of that catch over and “have breakfast with Me.”
Don’t overlook the significance of this invitation
to have a meal together in this culture is huge!
It is often used to solidify agreements
It is an invitation to fellowship
It is a symbol of unity
By inviting Peter and these other disciples to join Him for breakfast, Jesus is essentially communicating to them that He accepts them
They are His friends
Jesus isn’t just saying come and have breakfast
He is saying, you are cleansed, you are my friend, join me, I love you.
I introduced this fishing story as a portrait for us
It serves as a portrait for us following Jesus
Because we can’t do it on our own strength
Whatever our gifts, abilities, experiences, or strengths
Apart from Jesus and His work, we can do nothing
If you remember back to , Jesus tells us that
If we try to serve Jesus and follow Jesus in our own strength
we will be just as successful as the disciples were at fishing that night
If you want to be an expert in selfish living, instant gratification, or self-promotion you can do that in your own strength no problem
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