Beyond the Dock, Part 4
Series: Beyond the Dock
Sermon: Breakfast with Jesus
🗣️ Speaker: Pastor Tom Van Kempen
This week, Pastor Tom delivered a powerful message centered on the idea of reconnecting with our calling and the unwavering presence of Jesus in our lives. He talked about how sometimes we become so familiar with our comfort zones - like the disciples going back to fishing - that we miss seeing Jesus right in front of us. Pastor Tom used John, chapter 21, where Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love me?" three times, to remind us of our mission: to love and serve others in faith. The core takeaway? Jesus is always showing up, not just to prove He’s there, but to reveal what we might not see - that He’s calling us continuously into deeper love and commitment.
Additional Info
The info below was generated by an AI from the audio recording of the sermon.
Introduction
Welcome to a space where dead things come alive. Today, we focus on a transformative message that encourages individuals to rediscover their purpose and calling in life through a profound encounter with Jesus Christ. This journey into finding purpose highlights the importance of reconnection and understanding one's mission in the faith journey.
The Journey Begins
As we embark on this exploration, it’s evident that life can often lead us in unexpected directions, creating challenges that may feel overwhelming. One such story is about a recent trip to honor Oxford Assembly of God for significant contributions to BGMC (Boys and Girls Missionary Challenge). This trip showcased how God can lead us beyond our comfort zones, prompting us to embrace the unexpected and recognize His presence even amidst the chaos.
The Importance of the Word "Showed"
In John chapter 21, we see Jesus showing up to His disciples who have returned to their familiar habits—fishing. The key message here is encapsulated in the word "showed." Jesus appeared again to His disciples, emphasizing the importance of His resurrection and mission. Here lies an invitation for everyone to witness that the same Jesus who performed miracles continues to show up in our lives, revealing hidden truths and guiding us toward a deeper understanding of His purpose.
Recognizing Jesus' Presence
The scene unfolds at the Sea of Tiberias, where the disciples, weary from fishing without success, encounter Jesus. His presence brings comfort, yet they fail to recognize Him initially. This prompts us to ask why we sometimes overlook Jesus standing right in front of us in our own lives. What prevents us from understanding His involvement and guidance in our journeys?
Exploring Our Human Nature
Reflecting on human tendencies, it’s easy to see how we can sometimes operate out of familiarity instead of faith. As the disciples went back to fishing, they expressed their feelings of fear and failure, similar to how many today may retreat to what is comfortable instead of venturing out in faith. Jesus sees their struggle and responds with compassion, asking probing questions to remind them of their purpose.
The Call to Action
When Jesus asks, "Children, have you any food?" it highlights His desire for a connection beyond mere information. It's less about their physical state and more about prompting a reconnection with their calling. His tender encouragement serves as a reminder of who He is—an ever-present guide through our ups and downs in life.
A Reassuring Revelation
The powerful moment occurs when Jesus instructs them to cast their nets on the right side of the boat. Upon obeying, they experience an overwhelming catch, reminding them of their original calling to be fishers of men. This metaphor encompasses the vastness of God’s provision and the significance of actively pursuing Him in our mission.
Jesus Eager to Reconnect
This narrative reads like a scriptural déjà vu, echoing the original calling of His disciples. Their journey back to the shore, inspired by Peter’s zeal, reflects the excitement of rekindling a relationship with Christ. As believers, diving into our faith further can lead to discovering a renewed passion and mission in life.
Recognition of Our Past
After the miraculous catch, as they approach the shore, Jesus prepares a meal—symbolizing nourishment, fellowship, and remembrance of their shared journey. He uses 153 fish as a metaphor that evokes memories of their past challenges and triumphs. This moment serves as a poignant reminder that God welcomes us back despite our shortcomings. His love remains steadfast, urging us to move beyond our past failures and embrace His forgiveness.
Moving Forward with Purpose
Jesus then entrusts Peter with a crucial question—"Do you love me?" This question pierces the surface, challenging believers to reflect on the depth of their love for Christ. Through His inquiries, Jesus redirects their focus from worldly things, materials, or roles, to a deeper love that drives commitment to the mission of shepherding His people. Whether tending to lambs or sharing the gospel, this love acts as the foundation for all believer activity.
The Call to Shepherd and Evangelize
Lastly, the commission resonates through the ages—"Feed My lambs," and "Tend to My sheep." This commission is not merely a call to care but a call to action in evangelism and discipleship. It's crucial to equip ourselves with the tools necessary to go out, seeking the lost and tending to those in our community. We gather not just for personal edification but to take action into the world beyond our church walls.
Conclusion
As we reflect on the story of breakfast with Jesus, it's an invitation to embrace His calling anew. Just as He continually shows up in our lives, may we recognize Him—nurture that relationship, and respond courageously to the call to be fishers of men and shepherds of His flock. Let this encounter redefine our commitment toward evangelism and service, propelling us to make a meaningful difference in our communities.
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Use the questions listed below as a launching point to discuss the sermon points together as a family. These are great for dinner table discussions and small groups.
Discussion Questions: Breakfast with Jesus
Reflective: What are some comfort zones in your life, similar to the disciples returning to fishing, that you find yourself going back to?
Connection: How can recognizing Jesus’s constant presence in your life change your approach to challenges you face?
Application: Pastor Tom spoke about Jesus asking Peter, "Do you love me?" In what ways can we show our love for Jesus through our actions with others?
Explorative: How does the idea of Jesus’s resurrection change your perspective on your personal mission?
Future-Oriented: As we think about inviting others to experience Jesus's love, what practical steps can we take to bring this message into our communities?
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Historical Context of John 21
The Book of John, and particularly chapter 21, is set in a time shortly after Jesus's resurrection. This period was pivotal for early Christianity as Jesus provided final teachings to His disciples. The Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias, where this event takes place, was a familiar location for the disciples, who were mostly fishermen by trade.
Culturally, the setting denotes a return to normalcy and routine, post-resurrection. The disciples had been through significant turmoil witnessing Jesus’s crucifixion, thereby perhaps explaining their return to fishing. This scene symbolically represents the world of the early Christian Church coming to terms with the reality of Christ's resurrection and the start of a new mission.
Theologically, John’s gospel has a distinctive focus on the identity of Jesus and His divine purpose, often contrasting earthly understanding with heavenly truths. John 21's additional chapter might seem supplementary, yet it emphasizes the restoration of Peter, strengthening leadership and mission in the early Church. Jesus’s interaction with Peter specifically evokes memories of divine restoration and calling, essential for the burgeoning Christian community.
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Introduction
Welcome everyone! Today, we're going to learn about a special moment when Jesus had breakfast with His friends, the disciples, after He rose from the dead. It's a story that reminds us how much Jesus loves us and how we can share that love with others. Let's get excited to learn more about our friend Jesus!
Scripture
Scripture Reference: John 21:1-14
"After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself..." (John 21:1).
(Use a child-friendly Bible for age-appropriate language)Craft
Fishy Breakfast Craft
Materials Needed:
Construction paper (blue for water, yellow for fish)
Scissors
Glue
Markers or crayons
Instructions:
Cut out large fish shapes from the yellow construction paper.
On each fish, write down something nice about Jesus or a way to share His love with others.
Create a water scene using blue construction paper and glue the fish onto it.
Display the finished craft around the room to remind everyone about Jesus' love and our mission to share it.
Game
Catch the Fish
Objective: To learn how Jesus helps us share His love.
Instructions:
Set up a large area where kids can run freely.
Scatter soft fish toys or fish cutouts around the area.
One person will stand in the middle, while the others are "disciples."
The "disciples" will try to collect the fish without being tagged by the person in the middle.
If tagged, the "disciples" have to stop and stand still until another disciple touches them to free them.
The aim is to collect as many fish as possible, learning teamwork and how Jesus helps us share love together.
Discussion Questions
Why do you think Jesus wanted to have breakfast with His friends?
How did the disciples feel when they saw Jesus for the first time after He rose from the dead?
What does it mean to "catch fish" in the story? How can we "catch fish" in our lives?
How can we share Jesus' love with others this week?
Wrap Up with Prayer
Let's gather together for a prayer.
Prayer:
"Dear Jesus, thank You for loving us so much. Thank You for always being there with us. Help us to share Your love with everyone we meet, just like You showed Your love to the disciples. Help us to be brave and to invite others to learn about You. We love You, Jesus! Amen."Thank you for joining today’s lesson! Remember, just like Jesus had breakfast with His friends, He wants to have a special relationship with us too! Let's carry that love into our week!
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Well, I just want to say hi to Missy, Christine, Barb, Chris, Chuck, Shirley, Johnny.
They're all online with us today. Can you guys give them the online audience a hand? Man, we've got so many people online right now. It's getting bigger and bigger all the time. And this is the church where dead things come alive.
Dead things come alive in the name of Jesus. I'm just telling you, two weeks ago, a prophetic message was spoken that in the middle of that song, dead things were gonna come alive. And that afternoon, people were already texting me, it happened to me, Pastor. It happened to me, Pastor. It happened to me, Pastor.
So, you know, God can do healings. In the middle of the song service, who can say amen? He can do it during the message, after the message. He can do it when you're walking through the door. He can do it in your home and in your car.
Who can say, amen?
I'm telling you, this life is supposed to be a life of adventure, and sometimes the adventure doesn't go in the direction you want it to go. I had a trip, and the trip was to honor Oxford assembly of God for being the church that gave the 20th most money to BGMC out of 13,000 churches. Who can say amen? That's awesome. We were number 20 out of 13,000.
And I'm like, per capita, we probably gave the most because the other churches were much larger than ours. So I'm super, super proud of everybody here at Oxford ag. Yeah, give them another round of applause. That's a cool thing. But from the very beginning, it was a challenging trip.
I have been a TSA member since. It's came about 20 years ago or however many years ago that was 20 some years ago. And for some reason, when we get to the airport, I go to the front of tsa, I hand them my passport, and they go, your passport doesn't match your ticket. You have to go back. And so I went back.
I came back. It still didn't work. I had to go back. I had to go through. And finally when I got to the gate, the rest of my party, Pastor Sheena, her husband, and my wife were there, and they were just looking down the hallway seeing if I was gonna show up.
And I made it. And I'm thinking, does the devil not want me to go on this trip? And he did not want me to go because I heard some things, I saw some things that I wanna talk to you about a little bit today. We're not gonna get started there today because this is actually the concluding message in a series that we entitled beyond the Dock. And the whole purpose of this series was to challenge you, encourage you to evangelize, to invite people to Easter service, to do some different things to make a difference in this community.
And so we already preached a couple of weeks ago on Jesus and the miraculous catch on the shore of Galilee there. And this was from Luke, chapter five. And so today's message is from John, chapter 21, which tells us similar story in the exact same place. So I was going to call today's message back to the future.
Oh, a few of you got.
Was better than first service. I never got one single laugh in first service. Well, I take that back. One person over here. I think I delayed just long enough and they gave me the courtesy.
Ha, ha. That's all I can get. That was an original. I came up with that by myself. But I settled on something that I've actually used before, and it's called Breakfast with Jesus.
Because Jesus invites the disciples just to have breakfast with them. And so to get started, I just want to remind you that people say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And so I wanted to do a little survey. Are you cereal eaters? If you eat cereal, let me see you raise your hand.
Okay, most people. How many are like Cream of Wheat, Oatmeal eaters? Just a couple of you. Those people need Jesus.
Yeah, yeah. How about healthy cereal? Who eats the healthy stuff? Yeah. So you're the Wheaties people.
You are the. Let's see, what else? Cheerios. Fiber One product. 19.
Ooh, that's even worse than Fiber One, I think. I mean, some of these things, I'm like, are they really that healthy for you? How many of you prefer sugary cereals? Don't lie to me. We get those hands up.
All right, Sugary cereals, you know, like Cocoa Puffs, Cocoa Pebbles, Cocoa Wheats, Cocoa Pops, Cocoa Hoots, Count Chocula. The list goes on. Frankenberry Booberry, Cookie Crisp, Froot Loops. Who can tell me what is the number one sold cereal in America? Captain Crunch.
Captain Crunch. That's what it is. Number one. And I did a little research on this, it's 98.2% sugar. That phrase is number one.
Yeah, I'm exaggerating just a little bit there. So I'm getting a little distracted from the message today. Breakfast with Jesus. The story we're going to tell today is interesting at first glance. I think it's a little surprising, to be honest, because when I read the Gospel of John, one of the things that becomes apparent right away is that the book seems to end at the end of chapter 20.
And yet there's a whole other chapter which is intriguing in and of itself. And so when I thought about it, I was comparing John to Matthew, Mark and Luke. And one of the things you notice is that John spends like eight or nine chapters just on the last week of Jesus. And the rest of them, it's two or three chapters, and that's it. And so you look at John specifically, And in chapter 18, Jesus is arrested.
In chapter 19, he's crucified on the cross. In chapter 20, he rises from the dead. He appears to his disciples, and John writes this. This is the last two verses of John, chapter 20. And truly, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples which are not written in this book.
But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. And to me, it should say the end, but it doesn't. It goes on with a whole other chapter. And when you look at this 21st chapter, it appears like Jesus is summarizing the entire ministry journey that he and the disciples had together. And in summarizing this journey, he's reminding them of why they got together in the first place.
Because it appears in chapter 21 that they've forgotten their calling. So in chapter 21, verse 1, this is what it says. After these things, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. And in this way, he showed himself. But when the morning.
Now I'm skipping to verse four. I'm gonna get back to two and three, but I'm skipping to four. But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore. Yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. So one of the key words in this entire text is this word showed.
After these things, Jesus showed himself again. Not one time, not two times. This is the third time that he's now come to the disciples. And they still don't get it. There still is an ignorance about their understanding.
They still seem blinded to who Jesus is and what his purpose is in calling them is. And sometimes the church seems to be in the same place. We just don't get what it is Jesus is trying to do. And so he says it a second time. And in this way, he showed himself.
In verse 14, it says, Again, he showed himself. So we need to understand the importance of this word because Jesus is always say, always, always. He's always showing up.
He's always showing up. He loves to show up in the life of his people. The problem is we don't always see Him. If you look at those first three words, showed himself. Again, Jesus is trying to get the disciples attention because they've missed the entire point of his resurrection.
Yeah, they spent three years with him, but now that he died and rose again, they don't know what to do with him any longer. Again, I said the key is showed. That word in the Greek language is phanero. Listen to what it means. It means to manifest.
It means to appear in a physical sense. And I get that he's showing up. Here I am. I'm alive. I'm alive.
But the word is way deeper than that in meaning. It also means to make known what was hidden. In other words, Jesus resurrection is to reveal the reason why he came. There's more to this than just a risen person. This is a whole transformation of how we're supposed to approach life.
Things are supposed to be different. Now that Jesus has been raised from the dead, who can say amen? And the disciples seem to be going in the wrong direction. He wants to make it plainly recognizable. He wants his disciples not just to see Jesus, but the meaning behind the resurrection.
And up to this point, they've completely missed. Seems there's something lacking in their understanding. There's something lacking in their intimate knowledge of who Jesus really is. And that's because both literally and and figuratively, up to this point, the disciples have been operating in the dark. Think about it.
They've just been fishing all night long. The sun is breaking out. Jesus is standing on the seashore. So my question is, what is keeping them from realizing who is standing right in front of them? What is keeping us from realizing that Jesus is standing right in front of us?
Now, I've added an extra point just for you guys here today. So it's not in the notes, but the first point I added is people are dumb.
No comment. Thank you. I didn't want to comment on this. I didn't even put it in my notes. But on my trip, we went to this little restaurant area.
And while we were There. There would be these cars parking illegally. Now, I know you never park illegally, but there were these people at. What is it called Pigeon for? That's where we were.
And while we were there, there's this, you know, restaurants all over and this park area and these rides that you can go on. And some people made a decision that we're going to park in the fire zone. And so a security officer would pull up behind them and flash his lights, and they wouldn't move. He would turn on the siren for, like two seconds, and they wouldn't move. And he would turn on the siren for a minute straight glaring and blaring.
And it finally got to them. Oh, you mean me? I'm in an illegal parking zone. Maybe I should leave. One person drove up into the park in their vehicle, and when he came behind and started doing that, this person just stayed there.
This happened three times. And we walked for less than an hour. And over and over again, people were just doing silly things. And I'm like, are we just ignorant? Are we dumb?
Do we lack understanding? Now maybe I'm being too hard on people. Maybe I'm being too hard on the disciples. You know, they could be suffering from ptsd, to be honest. I'm serious.
Think about it. Their master, who had just died, is now walking around live. That could have shocked a few people. I think the delirium of the experience, verse one says after these things. So let's think about what it is they've experienced.
Their savior dies. The temple veil, thank you very much, is torn in half. Would you like to come up here and help me, please?
Sometimes the words just don't come. You know, the temple veil was torn in half. There were rumors that there were dead people walking all around. They were literally breaking out of the graves, and they're walking around and seen in Jerusalem. That's enough to freak you out.
And then a couple of days later, the grave is empty, and some women come and say, hey, we just talked to Jesus. And the disciples are going, yeah, right, you talked to Jesus. We saw him dead. So it's one thing after another. They're in a locked room, and all of a sudden their Jesus is physically standing before them.
And I say, physically, because he eats some fish, they're allowed to touch him, and they feel he has flesh and blood, just like before. Maybe the PTSD of the situation has shocked them into not understanding who Jesus is. Or maybe it's because they've given up on their calling and gone back to the way life used to be. John chapter 21, verses 2 and 3. Simon Peter, Thomas called the twin, Nathanael of Cana and Galilee, the sons of Zebedee and the two others of his disciples were together.
And Simon Peter said to them, I'm going fishing. Now, I never have seen this before, but that means there's seven disciples that go fishing. And so we understood from the first couple of sermons that we preached in this series that there were at least five fishermen in the lot. Now, it appears that there's probably seven of the 12 are fishermen. Seven of the remaining 11 are going fishing at the very least.
And they're sulking, they're fearful, they're afraid, they're wondering. And so they have to do something. And so the most easy thing to do is to go back to what's comfortable, what they're used to. Peter says, I'm going fishing. They say to him, we're going with you.
Also, the influence of Peter is seen there. And they went out, and immediately they got into their boat. I'm starting to wonder about the familiarity of the sea. It had to have brought them some comfort. They were in their element.
The night breeze, the spring splash of water on their face, the smell of fish. It must have felt like we're turning to a comfortable blanket. They were happy. That is, until they didn't catch anything. The scripture says in that night, they caught nothing.
Which could have only amplified the feelings that they were already feeling, that they were failures. They had failed Jesus. The sting of Peter's denial was still in his heart. The pain of the betrayal of the other disciples for running away. It had to be so obvious in them.
And now they can't even catch fish. This is what they're supposed to be good at. And they're like, what can we do? What are we even here for? Jesus shows up.
And more than that, Jesus shows off. Who can say amen? Not showing off in an arrogant way. He's just trying to get the disciples attention. He's trying to get them to recognize that he's got an important, important call on their lives.
And so Jesus says to them, children, have you any food? And they answer, no. Now, I don't know about you, but children is not the term I want to be addressed with. I prefer Tom, Pastor Tom, sir. You know, but, child, that seems a little demeaning, but you need to understand that Jesus is not using it in that way.
The actual Greek term is a word that is a term of endearment. And really, it's used to express how much love he has for the Disciples, and he wants them to understand who he is. He could have said a lot of different things, but he's saying children because he wants them to recognize the tenderness in his voice. He wants them to recognize the care that he has for each and every one of them, the love that he has in his heart. And so he shows them.
He reveals his heart to the disciples. At the same time, he's saying, you know what? I don't care if you've caught anything or not. I don't love you based upon performance. I don't love you because you do the right thing or because you fail once in a while.
It's got nothing to do with accomplishment. Jesus says, I see you as children because I love you and I know you didn't catch anything. So I'm not really asking this question to see if you've caught anything. I'm just trying to open up that dialogue that we had opened up back in John, chapter one. Do you remember sermon number one?
He said, come and see. And he's just trying to open up a dialogue with the disciples. Here he is. It's as if he's at first base all over again. It's like they're so far gone after three years, they've learned nothing.
I gotta start this process all over again. Jesus isn't asking for information. He's inviting them into an intimate interaction once again. Because Jesus sees that they're needy human beings. Jesus sees that they're not perfect.
They've got a long, long ways to go. And he's just simply saying, hey, have you got anything to show for your efforts? I know it's been a hard night. I know it's been a hard 40 days. I know it's been a challenging situation.
But he's not condemning them for their failure. He's trying to connect. He's trying to reconnect. And he's trying to remind them that the same Jesus that did miracles, that raised the dead, that multiplied the fishes, the same Jesus that they walked with and talked with, is now standing in front of him. So that must mean something.
Who can say Amen? It's gotta mean something. It's gotta change our lives in some way. This Jesus, who was just a teacher before, now really is who he says he is. But he wants to remind them one more time, so he shows them his power.
John, chapter 21, verse six. I don't even know if I got six up here. I do. 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 down. In verse 11, this is what it says. Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land full of large fish. This is interesting here. And the reason this is interesting is when he asked earlier if you have something to eat, that that term actually means little tiny baby fish.
He's asking, do you have any little tiny baby fish in that boat? And they're like, no, no, no, no. He helps them to catch large fish. 153. And although there were so many, the net was not broken.
He shows them his power, but it has nothing to do with the miracle. Yes, he's trying to communicate that he's able to provide. He's trying to communicate that he is Jehovah Jireh. But it's so much more than that that he uses, again, a different word. He uses the word find.
You'll cast your net on the right side and you will find some fish. Unusual phraseology. He's not saying you'll catch some. In chapter five of Luke, it was, if you throw your net over it, you will catch some fish. He's using a different word here because he's emphasizing a different point.
The scripture says specifically, if you seek, you will find. He's using that word right here. You will find some fish. You will find what you are seeking for. Jesus recognizes that the disciples are really on a search.
They're on a search for meaning. They're on a search for direction. They might not know it, but they're really on a search for the real Jesus. And so we've got to look at verses 7 and 8. This is what it says.
Therefore, the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, it's the Lord. One of the things I love about John and Peter and the interaction between the two is John usually has more recognition than any of the other disciples. His Gospel is the most spiritual of all the gospels. And so there seems to be that this man who can get the revelation, he really understands. He really knows what's going on.
But Peter always does something with the revelation. And as soon as Peter hears this, he was oblivious. He had no clue that it was Jesus. Yet John says, it's 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.
But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from the land, about 200 cubits or a football field in length, dragging the net with them. Don't you love Peter? I mean, here's a guy who sometimes is overzealous. But I believe it's an appropriate display of zealousness in this situation. If Jesus is revealed to you in a new way, how do you take your time getting back to the shore?
I actually believe that this is the first major point of this message today, that God is asking some of you to jump in, some of you who've walked with him for many, many years and things have gotten a little stale, a little boring. God is saying it's time to jump back into the lake. Who can say Amen? And so that's really the first major thing there. Number three.
He shows them their past. This is what I, what I talked about earlier in that Jesus is kind of explaining everything that has happened in their three years of ministry. For example, the 153 fish remind them of their calling. It's clearly a deja vu experience. It's almost the exact same miracle as that occurred three and a half years previous in this verse here.
Then as soon as they come to the land, they saw a fire of coast. This phrase is only used one other place in the entire Bible. And it's when Peter denied Jesus three times. So it forces Peter and the other disciples to think back to their own personal failures. It reminds them that we're going to let Jesus down again and again and again.
But Jesus never lets us down. Who can say Amen? He's always there. He'll never forsake us. Verse 13 says, Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.
And in this simple encounter, I know what's going on in their heads. They're remembering the feeding of the 5,000, they're remembering the feeding of the 4,000. All of a sudden, their entire ministry career flashes before their eyes. How many of you have heard that the, that when you're about to die, sometimes your life flashes before your eyes? That's what's going on to these guys right now.
And then, probably most significantly in this moment, what flashes before their eyes is when they're sitting down at the Passover, thinking to themselves that we're gonna rule this city someday. And then the next day, Jesus is dead. But they start remembering he broke the bread and he passed it. He shared the cup. And he started communicating to us that there's a new covenant.
He used that word, new. So something's different now in the New Testament, what we knew before that was related to the Passover is now somehow transforming and changing with this death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And we have to figure out what it is. It's as if the entire three years of ministry is there. In a flash they're reminded of his glory, his love, his power.
And now he welcomes them back into his presence. He shows them what his heart is. In verse 12, he says, Come and eat breakfast. He wants them to have something to eat. He wants them to sit down and fellowship with Him.
Again, it's an echo from John chapter one where he says, come and see. And now all of a sudden he's saying, come and eat. Come and indulge on me. Come and spend some time in my presence. But the disciples are hesitant.
He says, come and eat breakfast. Yet this is what it says. None of the disciples dared ask him, who are you? Knowing that it was the Lord. So what does that even mean?
It means they now understood this is Jesus. But they're having a hard time talking to him because they're a little scared right now. There's a hesitation in their step. They're fearful that maybe because of their screw ups, they're gonna be judged in some way, shape or form. And they're wondering, what is Jesus going to do?
Yes, those three years of ministry were exciting when Jesus did miracles and the great catch that initiated us into this great calling. Now there's a hesitation because Jesus is not just some miracle worker. Jesus is really God. He rose from the dead. He's got power over death, hell and the grave.
And as C.S. lewis says of the mighty line Aslan, he is good, but he is not safe. We American Christians want a safe Jesus and he does not exist. Jesus calls us to give all, say all. We can't hold anything back.
It all belongs to him. I surrender all to my Lord and Savior. And that's what he's trying to remind the disciples of in this minute. And so he shows and he shows all of us our great mission. And I will break it down one more time in Jesus Name John, chapter 21, verse 15.
Look at this. So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? Do you love me more than these theologians debate over what that phrase means. More than these. Is he talking about the disciples?
Do you love me more than the disciples? Is he talking about the fish? Do you love me more than the fish? Do you love me more than the provision that I provided for you? Do you love me more than your occupation?
He could have been talking about any number of things. It's really irrelevant what he's talking about. The focus is son of Simon, son of Jonah. Do you love me? That's the question God's asking us today.
Remember last week we talked about the passion of God. We talked about his love for the lost. And Jesus told three parables, the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son, to express his love. And now he's asking, Peter, do you love me? In response to my love of you?
Because if you do, evangelism becomes easy.
Are you hearing me? You see, we're worried about being awkward. We're worried about caring what somebody thinks when their eternal security is at stake. We should be running into the highways. We should be running into the byways.
We shouldn't be hesitating at all. We shouldn't be going back to the comforts of life. Instead, your love for God. Listen. Determines your commitment to the mission.
It really does. I'm here to tell you I can't guilt you into evangelizing. I can't guilt you into giving. You cannot. Out of obedience, Just sheer willpower.
I'm gonna do it, God. I'm gonna do it. We serve God out of love and gratitude and appreciation. That is the Jesus that's showing up today in his name. It's the Jesus that he wants you to see.
He is beautiful. He is awesome. He's beyond our imagination. When I was growing up as a teenager, there was a song entitled the Things we do for Love. And some of the words were like, walking in the rain, in the snow.
What are you willing to do for Christ just because you love him? Because nothing else matters. The scripture goes on, and it says that if you do love me, then feed my lambs. And I'm thinking, okay, well, he's basically saying that we need to go fish for men. Because a couple of verses later, he says, follow me.
He reminds the disciples of that initial calling, Come, follow me, and I'll make you fishers of men. So he's saying, I want you to do that. I want you to do that. I want you to do that. But then we go to this next verse, and he said to him again a second time, do you love me?
And in response to this question, Jesus doesn't say, feed my lambs. He says, tend to my lambs. If you look that word up, it really means, shepherd, my lambs. Listen, this is so important. Jesus is taking him back to John, chapter 10, and he's saying, remember, Peter, I said I was the great shepherd, and the sheep know my name.
I'm giving you My job. You are now the shepherd. Thomas, you're the shepherd. Andrew, you're the shepherd. James, you're the shepherd.
He's spirit to the disciples. He's speaking to us today, and he's saying that he's not here any longer. We're supposed to keep this mission going forward. We have to shepherd the sheep. Who can say amen?
That's our job. It's our love. It should be our passion more than anything else in the entire world. And you might say, okay, I can shepherd. But remember, shepherding begins by finding, say, finding.
It begins by finding the lost sheep. We just got a thousand more invitations, so please take 100 of them apiece, all right? I don't want any of them left. But listen, listen, listen. I'm asking you to invite people to church.
I'm asking you to go out on a limb and pick them up. But do you understand that if you're a shepherd, you have to carry a staff with you. And the staff out in the field becomes a weapon. And when you go out into that field, sometimes you have to start beating some sheep.
No, don't beat the sheep. Sorry. You need to beat the wolves because they're coming after the sheep. And so you need to use that as a weapon to knock them back. The scripture says, go out into the highways and.
And the byways. That means you go to the places that no one else will go to. So when I finally made it to this retreat that we were going to to receive this award this weekend, I realized why the devil was working so hard to keep me from getting there. And just so you know, my flight was canceled three times coming back yesterday. So I am completely exhausted right now, and I wanna go take a nap right now, all right?
But the devil didn't want me to communicate what I heard this weekend, and I'm going to communicate it anyway. Who can say amen?
So listen, listen, listen. While we were there, we were told about a ministry called Project Rescue. And many of you might be familiar with it. Our district is deeply involved in it right now. The founders are Dave and Beth Grant.
And the story is really interesting because what happened was in 1997, a local Christian who worked with the Grants and Missions was told by God to go to the red light district. Listen, the red light district in this particular city has over 150 prostitutes. Every one of those young women, young boys, young girls, was sold into slavery, usually by a family member. Someone sells them into sexual exploitation for the rest of their lives. And so listen, listen, listen.
I'm listening to this story, and they tell one story after another story and after another story, and I'm just broken. Tears are running down my cheeks, and I'm just like, God, what are you saying? And I felt like God saying, the American church has gone back to fish and fish instead of fishing for men. And we just think that the Christian life is supposed to be easy and simple. Look at what these people did.
This man went to the red light district and he said to the prostitutes there, I can't help you guys, but I can help your kids. Would you like your kids to go with me? And that night, he got 37 children. He calls the missionary up and he says, Mr. Grant, Pastor Grant, what can we do with 37 orphans?
And Mr. Grant said, I don't know, but we've just begun a new ministry, basically, and they brought these 37 in, and now they're serving hundreds of thousands of people delivered from sex slavery every year. Who can say amen?
