You Follow Me — John 21

0:01 Our Father, we're so thankful for the word of God that has such power and clarity as it speaks of thy great love in giving thy son and his death at Calvary. As we open this chapter, Father, help us to learn from it. May it touch our lives and change it. We ask for Thy help. We confess our need of Thy help, the help of the Spirit of God.

1:45 They answered him, no. 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. 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 or cloak for he had removed it and plunged into the sea.

2:19 But the other disciples came in the little boat, for they were not far from land, but about 200 cubits, or 300 yards the length of a football field, dragging the net with fish. Then as soon as they had come into land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it and bread. Jesus said to them, bring some of the fish which you have just caught. Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, 153. And although there were so many, the net was not broken.

3:04 Jesus said to them, come and eat breakfast. Yet none of the disciples dared ask him, who are you? Knowing that it was the Lord. Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish. This is now the third time Jesus showed himself to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

3:28 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these? Peter said to him, yes, Lord. You know that I love you. He said to him, feed my lambs. He said to him again a second time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me?

4:00 He said to him, yes, Lord. You know that I love you. He said to him, tend my sheep. Jesus said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, do you love me?

4:21 And he said to him, Lord, you know all things. You know that I love you. Jesus said to him, feed my sheep. Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish.

4:49 This he spoke signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he said to him, follow me. Then Peter turned around, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on his breast at the supper and said, Lord, who is the one who betrays you? Peter seeing him said to Jesus, but Lord, what about this man? Jesus said to him, if I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?

5:29 You follow me. Then the saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, But if I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? This is the disciple who testifies of these things and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books or the scrolls that would be written.

6:50 The Lord demands our affection. For Peter was the restoration to affection for Christ. Requirements, restoration. But then in verses 18 through 25, the Lord determines our destiny. I'm not talking about whether it's heaven or not.

7:18 That choice is because we either choose Christ as savior and rest on his finished work, or we reject him and suffer banishment for eternity. But what the Lord is determining is the time of death and the manner of death. And this is the redirection of our focus. Requirements, restoration, redirection. Now it's very obvious when you come to the end of this last chapter in John that it ends quite differently than the three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

8:10 They all end with the great commission. And Mark and Luke have the Lord's ascension to heaven. But John has entirely different events. And you know, for a long time, I wondered what's, why the difference? We know what the difference is, but why the difference?

8:37 And after spending the last month or so reading this chapter repeatedly and studying it, but I'm also in a Tuesday night bible study going through the book of Acts. And it finally dawned on me, and I have to say maybe I'm a slow learner. But I think this chapter is the transition from the gospels to the book of Acts. And I hope to bring this out, that the lessons that the Lord is teaching the disciples in this chapter are the lessons that they learned very well and were carried out with power in the book of Acts. But for this event, there's Peter and Thomas, the two sons of Zebedee, James and John.

9:36 We know they were apostles. Nathaniel, who was also mentioned in chapter one of John, most people believe was the Bartholomew of the apostles. Then it says, two others of his disciples. And the word for others is others of the same kind. The word can be either others of a different kind or others of the same kind.

10:07 So I would suggest, and I would only do it as a suggestion, I'm not dogmatic. We may have seven of the apostles standing on the shore of Galilee. And what were they doing? We don't know. But they were perhaps trying to figure out what to do, and Peter, the leader, he says, I'm going fishing.

10:37 They all say, hey, that's a good idea. We'll go with you. And they jump in the boat and head out into the Sea Of Galilee. They spend all night throwing the net, Right side of the boat, nothing. Left side of the boat, nothing.

11:01 Over the bow, nothing. Over the stern, nothing. Right, left, bow stern. Right, left, bow stern. You can do that for several hours in the dark and you can imagine the way they were feeling using a little imagination.

11:19 I can just hear one of them saying, man we've been out here a long time. I'm hungry. Another one says, well maybe you're hungry, but I'm cold with all that mist and everything on here. Peter would say, if you would do more work and help me with the net, I'm so hot I've had to take my coat off. And they would just have discouragement.

11:49 And they would just say, you know, this is stupid, I'm bored. When's morning coming? And they could say, you know, I think the fish are all at the other side of the Sea Of Galilee. But how do we get past a fruitless night and morning comes? And through the mist they see a man standing on the shore.

12:18 And I can't tell who it is, but he asked them, children. And that's the word for little children. Now these are grown men. But little children, do you have any food? Do you have any fish?

12:33 You can imagine who's going to answer. No. Despair, discouragement. He says, stranger says, cast your net on the right side of the boat. Man, they said, we've been doing that all night.

12:55 Right, left, bow, stern, right, left, the right side, okay, we'll try it again. And all of a sudden they're amazed. They can't drag the net in. Man, what a haul. And so we find that John finally tumbles.

13:15 And he said, guys, that's the Lord. And Peter says, if it's the Lord, he puts on his cloak and jumps into the water and starts going to shore. The Lord says, bring the fish in. And they haul the fish in. And the Lord's got the fire.

13:39 He's got breakfast cooking, bread and fish. The Lord didn't need somebody to make bread for him or catch the fish. He had it all ready. And so he says, come and have breakfast. When the disciples came, they realized this is the Lord.

14:59 You will catch men and women to trust me as savior. But remember, the Lord had just risen from the dead. The Lord had laid down his life at Calvary, the sacrifice for sinners. Three days later, after he was put in the tomb, he rose from the dead. He appeared unto the disciples.

15:29 They had the greatest story to tell. The Lord has risen. The work is finished. Salvation is free. So what does Peter do?

16:14 I'm going fishing. You know, so often, each of us, if we're honest, have to evaluate our lives. We get occupied with the trivial instead of what we really need to concentrate on. The greatest message, the Lord is risen. The work is finished.

16:39 Salvation is offered, fast, full, and free through the precious blood of the son of God, which was shed at Calvary. But they not... Peter not only took action without the Lord's guidance, they were without the Lord's presence. Now the Lord had appeared to them twice as a group before. The Lord was not that far away.

17:04 He was on the shore. I believe he was on the shore all night watching them, just as he was in the mountain praying for them when they were straining trying to cross the same sea earlier. But in the energy of the flesh, without being in communion with the Lord that day, or without direction from him, they went fishing. You can say, well there's nothing wrong with fishing, and there really wasn't. Except the Lord was not directing it, and the Lord was not blessing it.

17:47 Because they thought they could do it in their own strength. But Peter also influenced the other six. He was the leader, and he was a natural leader. But leaders have responsibility not to lead others astray. And Peter wrongly influenced the other six.

18:16 And so each of us, not only for leaders but for our companions, choose our friends carefully because they will influence us. But I think one of the strongest lessons for us when they decided to go fishing, they jumped in the boat immediately and pulled from shore. They didn't bother to pray. And if we can only remember, We live life either in the dependence of the Lord in prayer, or we lead our life thinking we can do it ourselves. We can do it in our own strength until we get in trouble, and then we realize we need the Lord.

19:20 But the power of prayer is something that I think and I'm speaking to myself first, we all really do not understand the true power of being in constant prayer with the Lord. And when I say constant, I don't mean twenty four hours a day. I remember a missionary to Venezuela that I knew for many years. And he said, I don't think I've ever prayed for an hour. But he said, there's not a waking hour of any day that I haven't prayed.

20:07 Pray your way through the day. And you know, we have a prayer meeting every Wednesday night here, and I know there's a number that have other commitments, I understand that. But if anyone could find the time and the purpose to attend the prayer meeting that's not coming now, You know, changes the way you look at our life. Little prayer, little power. If we could have much prayer, there'd be much greater power.

20:59 You know, we weren't here at the time, but I've heard this story so often that the largest Wednesday night prayer meeting this assembly has had for years and the most urgent praying was the night that Andy was missing and had been taken. The assembly realized there was a great need and there was urgent prayer. Reminds us of Peter in Acts chapter 12. But as we think of casting the net on the right side of the boat, and whether it was the right side, meaning the starboard, or whether it's just the right direction to cast it. I don't know, but it doesn't matter.

21:58 But all of a sudden, what they have been doing for hours and hours and hours, fruitlessly, brought in a catch with one cast that they were not able to haul to shore. 153 large fish. And we find that as we see them trying struggling to get that net in, it never broke. And that was a miracle. Because earlier, when they had a catch that was not that large, the nets were breaking, and they had to get another ship, a boat to come to help them out.

22:45 So when the Lord directs our service, there's fruitful service. We get positive results. Requirements for successful service, the Lord directing the activity. Our prayer effort and asking the Lord to direct, asking the Lord to bless. I was so glad to hear at the prayer meeting this past Wednesday night, that Scott Darringer's dad trusting the Lord.

23:26 And of this little girl, Maria, trusting the Lord from Moana. The Lord answers prayer, but we have to pray. We have to be guided. And we know it's the Lord's will that all should be saved. And so as we think of these lessons that the disciples learned, how did they apply them in the book of Acts?

23:55 Well, first of all, the disciples waited in Jerusalem in the upper room for the ten days. They were waiting for the spirit of God to come upon them with power. And they were continuing in prayer and supplication with others in one accord. In Acts chapter six, the apostle said when there was that problem that came with the Greek believers, widows, not getting enough food, They said, we can't leave our responsibilities to wait on the tables. They said, we will focus on prayer and the preaching of the word.

24:56 There were others that could take care of the temporal service. They chose seven deacons, men full of the Holy Spirit and power. But they said we will focus on prayer in the ministry of the word. They weren't distracted. When Peter was in prison, the church was praying.

25:38 With constant prayer was offered to God by the church. The power of prayer. What's the result of obedience and direction? What's the result of powerful, very directed praying. Acts two forty one, 3,000 souls were added at Peter's preaching.

26:16 Later in that same chapter, the Lord added to the church daily those that were being saved. Acts five fourteen, believers were increasingly added to the Lord. Multitudes of both men and women. Acts six and one, now in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying. Acts six and seven, then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly.

26:51 A great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. In Acts fourteen and one, a great multitude, both of the Jews and of the Greeks believed. Does God answer prayer? The Lord delights to answer prayer. If we only delighted more in praying.

27:20 Specific prayers. And I want to encourage those that have unsaved loved ones that you've been praying for, for a number of years. Because we have several in Audrey's family. Nieces and nephews, we've been praying for decades and they still aren't saved. We just pray that someone will come across their path with the gospel because they've rejected hearing it from us.

28:56 And he looked at the fire, and he stood around, and then he sat down. And his courage failed him. When he was confronted three times by different people, he denied knowing the savior. He's now looking at another fire. The other six men are with him as well as the Lord.

29:34 And the Lord says to him, Peter actually, he calls him Simon, son of Jonah. Do you love me more than these other men? And what the Lord uses for love is a different word with different meanings than Peter's answer. What the Lord says to Peter, Do you love Agapeo? A self sacrificing love that claims nothing in return.

30:20 It's the word that John three sixteen uses, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. Peter realizes that his love was not that great. So he says, yes Lord, you know that I love you. And he uses the word for filio, for friendship, for love that falls short of being sacrificial. It has the thought of tender affection, but not the sacrifice.

31:11 The Lord says to him, feed my lambs. Feed my young sheep, my young believers. You know, I would like to just encourage young men and women here in the audience, be careful what you feed on, and I'll make the same suggestion to older believers as well. There's so much corruption in the world today. The internet, The television and other forms of entertainment.

32:05 Now some of it's fine. I'm not saying it's all bad. But there's so much on the internet. And I'm not talking about just pornography, and that's terrible. But there's a lot of teaching going off on the internet that sounds like it's spiritual.

32:30 It has a mixture of the word of God in it. But really, it's guided, satanic. It's false teaching. And some have gotten trapped. And so be careful.

32:51 The Bereans tested the word of God they heard every day, whether it matched the scriptures. But the Lord says to Peter the second time, Simon, do you love me? And again he uses that word agapeo, a sacrificial love. And Peter says, Lord, I have affection for you, Ophilio. You know that I love you, but my love isn't that great love that you're asking, do I have that level of commitment?

33:38 Yes, I love you, but I'm not sacrificing. The Lord says to him, tend or shepherd my sheep. Protect them. Not only feed them, but keep them from wandering away. Protect them, care for them, shepherd them.

34:06 The Lord says to Peter the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me? And Peter's grieved. He said, Lord, the third time you've asked me that. But this time he was grieved because the Lord did not use the word Agapeo. He drops the level of the question.

34:39 Peter, do you have an affection for me? Do you have friendship? You won't commit to the other level of loving. Do you have this level? Peter says, yes Lord, you know that I love you and he gives the same level.

35:03 The Lord says, feed my sheep. Now we don't have time to look at it, but if you read the two epistles of Peter, one and two Peter, you will find again and again and again the ways that Peter fed the believers, particularly looking at one Peter chapter five. And there's so many ways in there as the Lord, through the spirit of God, caused Peter to write that chapter of his first epistle. But then we come to the third section. We don't have a lot of time, but we're not going to spend a lot of time on it.

35:50 The Lord says to Peter, you're young, you walk around wherever you want. You gird yourself, you throw your cloak on to come see me from the boat. But Peter, when you're old, you're going to put your arms out, and somebody else is going to gird you, And they're going to carry you where you don't want to go. And the Lord's description is crucifixion. And history tells us that Peter was crucified.

36:36 But he said, I'm not worthy to be crucified like my Lord. Crucify me upside down. But the Lord did tell Peter, when you are old. And that's why when we have Acts 12, and Peter's in prison, and the next day Herod's intending to put him to death, And the church is praying fervently for Peter's release. Peter's not sitting in his jail cell, restless, I wonder what's going to happen.

37:17 Peter sound asleep. Peter had confidence. I can't die tomorrow. The Lord said I'm going to die when I'm old. And this was just a few months or so after these incidents.

38:00 You know, that's so much like us. The Lord has a message for us and he wants us to concentrate on it. We get distracted and we say, hey, Lord, what about them? Look what they're doing. What's going to happen?

38:18 I wonder, Lord, what about them? What about her? The Lord says to him, in effect, forget about them. Forget about John. But you follow me.

38:43 You follow me. You know, we get so distracted. Thinking about others. How much time do I spend concerned about how I'm doing spiritually? What I should be doing differently?

40:16 And you say, well, that's an impossibility. But I don't think so. The Lord is infinite from eternity. All of eternity, we call it eternity past, and that's not really an accurate description, but we have no other way to do it. All of creation of the universe, the sustaining of the universe and all its movements of the galaxies, billions of galaxies.

40:59 The Lord coming from heaven and humbling himself in his birth, in his life, and in his death and resurrection. His glorious ascension and for all eternity will have the complete unfolding further understanding of the person of Christ in his work, in his glories, his majesty, all that he is. The world is finite. Christ is infinite. You cannot contain the infinite and the finite.

41:44 I don't think we have any understanding or appreciation of all that is in store for us in the continued unfolding of the person of Christ. As we leave today, may we leave with the challenge of getting to know him better. You know, was very struck with the way we began the breaking of bread meeting this morning and Jacob gave out that hymn. Because the last week or two, I've been reading one of Bill McDonald's books. And it's from the last few words of that fourth line.

42:35 We're in the whole realm of nature mind. That we're an offering far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my heart, my life, my all. Now I've been really struck with this little booklet. And I was looking for it, I couldn't find it in the back there, but I'll make an offer.

43:05 And it's to the young folks first. You can have this book to read and pass along to some of the other young believers, particularly the last part of the book. It's a challenge. How are we going to spend our life in the trivial pursuits of life or spend it for eternity just living for the Lord. Shall we pray?

43:45 Our Father, as we think of this chapter that is so unusual, but has such important lessons for each of us. Father, help us to focus on what your word says. Help us to challenge and measure our lives by it. Father, help us to change. Help us to go in for living, for eternity instead of being occupied with all that crowds into our life down here.

44:27 Father, we're thankful for thy word. It's eternal. We are thankful for the power of the Spirit of God that works so mightily in the days of the book of Acts. Father, change us, we pray. We ask it in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.