Get Off The Boat (Living Victoriously Part 1)

John 21:1-11

After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”

They said to him, “We are going with you also.” They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?”

They answered Him, “No.”

6 And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish. 9 Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.”

11 Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.

This Sunday we will be starting a new series entitled, “Living Victoriously!” We have all had some struggles to deal with, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic season. We have all had ups and downs, sleepless nights, we have been beat up and rolled over. Defeat sometimes seems to be what has set up shop in our lives and keeps us in a headlock.

Don’t you want some victory in your life? You have been serving and you have been praying and it still seems that you are defeated. In Jeremiah 29:11 the plans God has for us is laid out, “ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. So over the next few Sundays we are going to look at how despite all that life throws at us how can we live a life of victory.

In our text this morning this morning the disciples, seven by name have gone back to Galilee, to the Sea of Tiberias to were this all started, see we have a tendency when we see going forward looks too hard to want to go back to what are comfortable with, and Peter who was a fisherman by trade, this is what he did, what he was good at, what he he felt he had control over decides; “I’m going fishing.”

We have been following this Jesus, and we have seen some things and been some places but it has only gotten us in trouble. Now we are on the run and don’t know where to turn too, So I am going fishing.

The promises of God

I Will Be With You

Isaiah 41:10

fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I will be with you. First, He promises that He will be with us. This promise provides blessed reassurance that God will be with us in good times and bad; even through the storm and the pain. That He will never leave us, nor forsake us. Jesus is our constant companion at every moment of our lives. In both good times and bad, there is no where we can go that He is not with us. Even when we are steeped in a lifestyle of sin and destruction, He is there calling us to higher ground so we can follow His divine will, his path, in our lives, which leads to Eternal Life.

I Will Protect You

Psalm 34:7-9

7  The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. 8  O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. 9  O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

I Will Protect You. As Christians, Jesus Christ, God’s only son, is our Savior in every circumstance. Not just eternally, but in the day to day. When we call on Him for protection, in any circumstance, He is there. He changes hearts in relationships, and helps us to navigate uncharted waters. He heals us according to His Divine Will. He goes before us to protect us from danger, prepares the way in new circumstances, and protects us from the pits of despair when we fall into depression. We need to call upon Jesus and trust in His divine protection.

I Will Be Your Strength

1 Peter 5:10

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast."

I Will Be Your Strength. There are times when all of us feel as if we have lost our momentum, our direction, our strength. Those times when we feel lost and overwhelmed by things in our lives, those that leave us needing to experience and face our own weakness. It is during those times that we need to turn to Jesus as He IS our strength. He will rejuvenate and reinvigorate us, renewing us in body, mind and spirit so we can face life on its terms again. As Philippians 4:13 says: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” He is our strength in times of weakness. As believing Christians, for any real, enduring strength we have comes from Jesus Christ.