Passion: New Life

Passion  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  31:15
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What’s your favorite movie series?

There are a few stories that I really love… why don’t we start today by sharing in the chat your favorite movie?
SLIDE
The Star Wars saga is one of mine… mostly the older movies of course… Episode 4 which was the first one A New Hope… was one of the greatest movies of all time in my humble opinion… followed in close 2nd by the next one Empire strikes back.
Both of those movies ended with real cliff hangers that made you want to come back for more. These later movies have found a different way to get us to come back.
They use these post credits clips… They end the movie with a preview of what happens next… they show you a bridge to the next film…
So you wait for months to see a movie, you watch it and before you have gotten a moment to enjoy it, they show you what’s going to happen in the next film that you will have to wait a couple years for...
If you have ever seen this in a film, then you understand that’s how our text today fits in the Gospel of John. It’s sort of an add on that’s only purpose is to get us excited about what comes next.
We heard the Masse’s read it just a few moments ago, but just before that in chapter 20.
Resurrection… appearance… you can hear the music rising to a crescendo… and then Heather, our narrator comes in to read:
John 20:30–31 NIV
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
It’s the end… at least it sounds like it. Jesus is alive, we know it… roll credits!
But that’s not what happens. The John, the gospel writer gives us a bit more. I guess he didn’t like the way he left us hanging in regards to one of the disciples relationship with Jesus. He had made quite a deal of him in the book and when we last saw him, he was on the outs… he had denied knowing Jesus.

Peter: Bold and Confident

Peter the one who cut off the soldiers ear… defending Jesus. Peter who said, Lord I don’t care how many of these other guys turn their back on you I never will… Peter, the one who got out of the boat to walk on water.. the one who when confronted by some girls about his relationship with Jesus became a coward. He denied even knowing Jesus.

Peter: a Bold and Confident Failure

Have you ever messed up like that? I mean a real blunder? Maybe you didn’t deny Jesus, but you’ve made mistakes right. You’ve done things you knew you weren’t supposed to do… thinking that deep down, you knew were wrong but you did it anyway?
Maybe it was that in our current situation, you feel that you were unprepared. Your debts are our of control, your health is putting you at risk, your job is insufficient, your business is unable to adapt. You should have seen something like this coming… you should have known better… you should have done better… you failed
I wanted to quit. I wanted to to stop right there. How could God use me after how I had dishonored him like that? It was one of the lowest points in my life.
Have you ever failed your faith? I’m sure many of you have… Maybe you failed in some other significant way... How did you feel?

Share how you felt in one word.

if you are brave enough… in one word, share that in the chat
Well that wasn’t the end of the story for Peter and John wasn’t about to leave us thinking that Peter had finished as a washout… a failure, because that’s not at all what happened.

John 21

That’s what we are going to see in chapter 21.
Where Lydia began reading, it sounds like the end.
Jesus was dead, and instead of staying in Jerusalem, Peter leads a group of disciples back to Galilee… back home… back to fishing.
They’ve been out all night and caught nothing… as they are coming in to shore, Jesus is there with a fire
He calls out to them… How did you do?
This is a little insulting right. You ever been in this place where you have a poor performance and someone says, so how did you do? Often you can answer that with just a look and they know… but why would Jesus ask?
I mean, he knew they did poorly, so why bother asking?
Why does he ask questions with obvious answers?
There’s something about our hearing ourselves answer… admitting the truth that We wasted our time… we aren’t the fishermen we used to be… They could make something up… Andrew got bad bait… Nathaniel brought bananas on board or something else.
But they knew the truth, they had tried everything and they hadn’t caught anything… nothing.
Jesus wants us to see our situation exactly as it is… not living in denial. Because it’s only when we deal in reality… that we aren’t the fishermen we used to be… we aren’t the disciples we used to be… that Jesus can begin restoring us.

When we get honest, Jesus begins our restoration.

When they got real… we were shut out.... that Jesus went on to tell them where the fish were and just then Peter realized
It is the Lord, peter exclaimed before jumping in swimming to shore
The rest pulled the boat ashore
There is alot to question about Peter… but not his love for Jesus.
there on shore they found Jesus cooking fish on a charcoal fire. A detail that John included because it is important for what’s about to happen. Where did Jesus get the fish? Had he gotten there early and started fishing on his own? Had he created his own? We don’t know where the fish came from, but one thing we do know is that there is only one other charcoal fire in the Gospel of John… it was at the trial of Jesus, when Peter denied Jesus three times just as the rooster crowed.
There’s one other account of Jesus showing up while Peter is fishing. Luke 5 records when Jesus called Peter to follow him. Jesus sees him fishing and tells him to cast his net on the other side and he does then pulls in a record catch. Peter’s response… get away from me Lord for I am a sinful man.

A Faithless response to failure is to run and hide

That’s a picture of a lack of understanding of grace, because before you know Jesus’ love, you fear being near him… you don’t want to come to church, be with other believers, etc… because God’s presence reminds us of our sinfulness.
This is right where our enemy Satan wants to keep us. If Satan can keep us ashamed of our sin, like Adam and Eve, covering up ourselves, trying to hide. If Satan can keep us in hiding, running from God, living in denial, then death wins.
But Jesus wouldn’t leave Peter alone… and he won’t leave us alone.
Jesus called Peter and Peter responded to follow Jesus; and yet, here we are. Peter has seen, he has heard, he has been obedient, he loves Jesus, but when he makes this huge mistake of denying Jesus, he runs back to his old ways.
You see his faith is very different now, but it is still not where it needs to be.
Why do I say that… because of what he does here.
Jesus shows up while Peter and the others are fishing, he shows his sovereignty over Peter’s life by pointing him to the fish, and when he invites them to breakfast and asks Peter to contribute; what does Peter do?
Peter brings everything he has caught to Jesus.
Jesus then invited Peter to bring some of his catch. And Peter goes and doesn’t bring a few fish for breakfast… he brings all 153 of them.

An Immature Faith seeks to earn God’s approval

This week I did some digging and you know what I discovered about the fact that they had 153 fish? I found out that 153 fish is exactly the amount that makes up a whole bunch of fish. There’s nothing significant about the number other than that it’s a load, a detail that John provides to teach us something about faith.
But notice that Jesus didn’t need Peter’s fish, he already had fish cooking, he wanted Peter to take part in what he was doing. But Peter, the one who always goes first, always has to go over the top, does it again.
Have you ever been guilty of trying to win God’s approval? Maybe this lent you started reading the bible daily or praying more often… and somewhere along the way you started feeling that you had to. Or when you did, God loved you more.
Trying to earn or deserve God’s love will keep you busy, it will keep you stressed, it will keep you in bondage. What can you do to deserve perfect love? My wife loves me… not perfectly, but pretty close. I can’t even earn her love, much less the perfect love that God has for me.
That’s where our enemy steps in, knowing that we can’t earn it… but tempts us to strive for worthiness. It becomes our mission, to deserve God’s grace.
When you start feeling that you have to do this or that… When we try to win God’s approval… you are falling into this works based salvation. And that should be a reminder that I have some growing to do. Maybe I need to go back to the cross again, because God’s love isn't’ something that I can earn, it is given to you to me...
Paul said it this way
Romans 5:8 NIV
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
That’s what Easter was all about.
You can’t earn his love, you can’t win his approval.
He has already extended his grace to you.
That’s what Peter was beginning to realize right here at a fire, a fire that was just like the one where he had denied Jesus, Jesus was again inviting him back into fellowship.
Then after breakfast Jesus drove the point home...asked him in vs 15

Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?

Peter responds yes lord, you know I love you.
Jesus responds, then feed my lambs.
There is some disagreement about what the “these” are. Was Jesus asking
Do you love me more than these other disciples of love me?
Do you love me more than you love these other disciples?
or do you love me more than you love these fish?
I think that’s what Jesus was asking here, because that’s what Peter ran back to when he was hurting, when he messed up. Instead of running to the one who could heal, he ran to the one who could help him forget.
Do you love me more than these fish… that you thought would bring fulfillment to your life?
Peter says yes,
and Jesus responds, then feed my lambs… then immediately asks him again, do you love me?
Peter says yes… and Jesus tells him again to take care of his flock and immediately asks him again
Do you love me? Three times he asks the man who three times had denied even knowing Jesus. Three times he had denied him and three times Peter had professed his love.
it certainly made an impact on Peter
Peter, moved that Jesus would ask him again, Yes.
Jesus replies by telling him again to care for his disciples and then goes on to tell him how he would die and that his death would glorify God just as Jesus’s had.
Wow… we can breathe
You see… when you think you have messed up so bad, your past is so dirty, you have such a reputation that God can’t use you...
“The truth is that God can do anything He pleases through an ordinary person who is fully dedicated to Him.” ― Henry T. Blackaby, Experiencing God
This is so true, we see it in Peter, we see it in people every day.
Jesus says it this way in v 19… Follow Me.
He’s set Peter back on track.
Just when we feel that Peter has arrived, he turns and asks Jesus
John 21:21 NIV
21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
What about him? after all this, Peter is still comparing himself to others.
Do you ever fall into this? I wish I had their faith… Why are they doing that… God why are they healthy and my spouse sick… why is their business blessed and ours closing...
Jesus says don’t worry about them Peter, Heather,Ed, Debbie, Mike.. Don’t worry about them… follow me

Follow me

Don’t fall into the temptation to run from God… he loves you
Don’t fall into the temptation to try to earn my love… you can’t earn a gift
Don’t fall into the temptation of comparing yourself to others… I called you
Easter was about Jesus
Today Jesus makes Easter about you … us
He loves you and invites us to come and follow him. To leave yesterday behind… and live for right now. Love his people, serve one another, love one another, Don’t worry about what was.... live for what is… don’t even worry about tomorrow, I’ll take care of that.
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